[lit-ideas] Excuse me while I vent
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: DemsAbroad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, DPCA Members <DPCAMembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, DPCA Leadership <DPCA-Leadership@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Anthro-L <ANTHRO-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:22:32 +0900
The following, of which I am the author, was just posted on
bestoftheblogs.com.
======================
What military leaders really think about Rummy
Thanks to Mother Jones for covering retiring Army Chief of Staff Eric
Shinseki's last speech. Shinseki spoke eloquently about the the
essence of real leadership, saying,
> "You must love those you lead before you can be an effective
> leader... You can certainly command without that sense of
> commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership,
> command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust
> and arrogance."
>
That Shinseki was, without naming names, slamming the leadership
style of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is not surprising. Nor
is the news that Rumsfeld's choice to replace Shinseki is General
Peter Schoomaker, " a friend of the Pentagon boss who led the US
special operations forces for three years."
But the story continues. According to Wayne Madsen, writing for
Counterpunch, Schoomaker wasn't the first, second, third, fourth,
or...nth choice.
> "The job that every flag rank officer covets was systematically
> turned down by Army commanders around the world: General B.B. Bell
> of the US Army European Command, General James Campbell of the US
> Army Pacific Command, General Larry Ellis of the US Army Forces
> Command, and General Philip Kensinger, commander of the US Army's
> Special Operations Command.
>
> "The deputy head of CENTCOM, Lt. Gen. John Abazaid, an Arab-
> American, also turned down Rumsfeld. Shinseki, Franks, Keane, and
> Abazaid could not stand the thought of putting up with Rumsfeld and
> his chickenhawk advisers on a daily basis."
>
A writer for Counterpunch might be a bit biased. But what about this,
from "Conservative think-tanker and military reform advocate William
S. Lind," writing on Military.com,
> "Both current incumbents leave this summer, and instead of the
> usual line of hopefuls standing hat in hand, the eligibles have
> headed for the hills. Rumor has it they may have to recruit the
> hall porter and the charwoman.
>
> "The interesting question is why. Part of the answer is Secretary
> of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. To put it plainly, Rumsfeld treats
> people like crap. Working for him is like working for Leona
> Helmsley, except that Leona is less self-centered. Unless you are
> one of his sycophants, equipped with a good set of knee-pads and
> plenty of lip balm, you can expect to be booted down the stairs on
> a regular basis."
>
Add this to the recent behavior of House Judiciary Committee Chair
Steinbrenner and recall the old maxim that you know people by the
company they keep. Sure looks to me like the real aim of the current
administration is a nation that looks like Manila, a place where the
elite get serviced and the servers (serfs) get shit.
============
And, yes, I have been to Manila.
John L. McCreery
Former International Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad
Tel 81-45-314-9324
Email mccreery@xxxxxxx
>>Life isn't fair. Democracy should be. <<
To learn more about Democrats Abroad, see these websites
In Japan: http://www.demsjapan.jp
Worldwide: http://www.democratsabroad.org
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