More on America's Ongoing Civ-Mil Relations Crisis Posted by Michael Cohen

Over at abumuqawama, Andrew Exum thinks some of us are making far too much out of the current crisis in civ-mil relations. He quotes a reader:

How many of the people who think we have a serious civil-military problem because the military is controlling Obama (or whatever word one wants to use) also a) complained when Shinseki spoke out about the Iraq war strategy, b) thought Rumsfeld was correct in general to ride roughshod over the generals in 2001-2003, and c) thought that the generals complaining about Bush's Iraq strategy should have piped down and been quiet?

Andrew believes these are "good questions" and claims "it's worth noting how partisan preferences shape when and how people choose to get their panties all up in a twist on this." In particular he accuses Andrew Sullivan of engaging in a double standard for supporting retired generals who spoke out against torture while at the same time attacking David Petraeus. 

Forgive me for saying . . . but please! None of these events are even comparable to what Wooward recounts in "Obama's Wars" of the Pentagon basically doing everything possible to force Obama to support a 30,000 troop escalation (even misleading POTUS about war games that played out a smaller footprint scenario and publicly lobbying for more troops in congressional testimony and in the news media). You can read more here about the duplicitous games and public lobbying perpetrated by the Pentagon during last year's Afghanistan review. I dare someone to read this article and conclude that we DON'T have a serious civ-mil crisis in this country.

As for the particulars, the Shinseki comparison is particularly bogus. As I wrote here last year: "In 2003, he was Army Chief of Staff and when he publicly contradicted the Bush Administration's rosy view of the post-war occupation of Iraq he wasn't being interviewed on television - he was testifying under oath to Congress. As Shinseki's spokesperson correctly pointed out at the time, 'He was asked a question and he responded with his best military judgment.'"

Not comparable at all. Indeed, Andrew's CNAS colleague Tom Ricks has a whole section in his book Fiasco on just this topic.

Second, retired generals criticizing torture, like NSN's own Paul Eaton is . . . well their constitutional right as retired servicemembers. One can argue, I suppose, about whether it is fully appropriate for them to speak out, but comparing this sort of conduct with actual active generals trying to force the president's hand on military escalation. That is what the kids call an apple to bicycles comparison.

As for the "generals complaining about Bush's Iraq strategy" - someone is going to have to remind who that was because I have no memory of any active service general pointing out the problems with Bush's Iraq strategy back in 2002 and 2003. Maybe they should have . . . after resigning, which would have been the only appropriate public behavior on their part if they thought the war plan was doomed to fail. 

What they shouldn't have done was publicly lobby in support of their preferred policy choice . . . which is precisely what Petraeus, McChrystal, Mullen et al did last Fall and are continuing to do today. At this point it seems almost impossible to argue that we don't have a serious problem in this country with civilian-military relations. What makes it a crisis is that too many people in Washington - and particularly at the White House - don't want to acknowledge it.

Comments

[Don Bacon]

Ongoing Civ-Mil Relations Crisis?

That's not all.
We also have other ongoing crises.

* Citizen-Medical Care
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And in every single one of these the current president (& co.) has been weak, giving in to entrenched establishment interests.

So civ-mil is just another entry on the list, just another chapter in the screwing of Americans for establishment pleasure and profit.

We'll just remember the good old days. "It's the fellows who go to West Point and are trained to think they're gods in uniform that I plan to take apart".--Harry S Truman

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