Charles Krauthammer Hearts George Michael

I find it surprising that Charles Krauthammer’s music library includes Wham! However, I do not find it surprising that Krauthammer’s latest column in The Washington Post would add to the orchestrated defense of Donald Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush’s Iraq policy. His column comes on the heels of an opinion piece in the Post by Melvin Laird and Robert Pursley that makes the same argument. [Aside: Melvin Laird is the architect of "Vietnamization" so the Administration mantra "We will stand down when the Iraqis stand up" should give him Goosebumps since Vietnamization worked out so well]

You cannot blame Krauthammer (and Laird) for shooting the messenger, after all, the message is hard to discount. Krauthammer sees a danger to our Republic. He sees a collapse of civilian control over the military. He sees a military takeover of the United States.

I-know-better generals are back. Six of them, retired, are denouncing the Bush administration and calling for Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation as secretary of defense. The antiwar types think this is just swell.

We’ve always had discontented officers in every war and in every period of our history. But they rarely coalesce into factions. That happens in places such as Hussein’s Iraq, Pinochet’s Chile or your run-of-the-mill banana republic. And when it does, outsiders (including the United States) do their best to exploit it, seeking out the dissident factions to either stage a coup or force the government to change policy.

….

It is precisely this kind of division that our tradition of military deference to democratically elected civilian superiors was meant to prevent. Today it suits the antiwar left to applaud the rupture of that tradition. But it is a disturbing and very dangerous precedent that even the left will one day regret.

Charles, Charles, Charles. Calm down and breathe into the brown paper bag. I would share your alarm but I have not been able to find a good way to detach my brain from my skull and still function as a human being. But fear not you have many who will carry the water with you.

Let me take it from the top:

  1. Not withstanding the last holdout, American policy in Iraq has been a disaster.
  2. We were lied or bumbled (no practical difference) into this preemptive war by this Administration.
  3. We failed to take any steps to plan for a post-conflict peace. We have reigned over chaos since 2003.
  4. We have handed Iraq on a silver platter to Iran.
  5. We have put in power in Iraq the same group of people that killed 241 marines in Beirut in 1983.
  6. We have no exit strategy in Iraq other than to say, "Stay the course" or "We will stand down when the Iraqis stand up".
  7. We have lost over 2000 American lives and at least 30,000 Iraqi lives.
  8. Civil war rages in Iraq with ethnic cleansing at its core.
  9. We have been taken to war on the backs of two ideologies. That of the neo-cons like Mr. Krauthammer who argue for Pax Americana at the barrel of a gun; and that of Mr. Rumsfeld that is bent on proving his concept of a light and agile military is superior, facts or circumstances be damned.

According to the latest Fox News poll only 33% of Americans approve of how President Bush is handling his job. Of those who disapprove, the most frequently cited reason is the debacle in Iraq. In this environment, does this surprise you, Charles, that retired generals would also disapprove of our Iraq policy. The public is well ahead of the military on this one – as they should be. Krauthammer argues rather disingenuously that the generals should have spoken out while on active duty:

Some of the complainers were on active duty when these decisions were made. If they felt so strongly about Rumsfeld’s disregard of their advice, why didn’t they resign at the time? Why did they wait to do so from the safety of retirement, with their pensions secured?

Nice one Charles, but by your own thesis, didn’t the generals do what they should have done. While on active duty, they accepted the civilian control of the military, registered their complaints, saluted and followed orders. I applaud them for that – as should you, Charles. I think our Republic is safe from a military takeover precisely because our men and women in the military are a disciplined group of people who understand and respect the Constitution of the United States.

Of course, when all other arguments fail the fallback argument is always that dissent aids the enemy. Laird and Pursley conclude with this:

In speaking out now, they may think they are doing a service by adding to the reasoned debate. But the enemy does not understand or appreciate reasoned public debate. It is perceived as a sign of weakness and lack of resolve.

The real enemy is sitting in some cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan laughing at us for our fiasco in Iraq. When the majority of the public think the country is being mismanaged and when retired generals speak out, it is time to take heed. Attempting to dismiss legitimate criticism by suggesting that it is aiding and abetting the enemy is the same mindset and groupthink that got us embroiled in this mess in Iraq in the first place.

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59 Responses to Charles Krauthammer Hearts George Michael

  1. dude says:

    james: i am a HUUUGE oWilde fan, and many of his quotes are rewording of previous quotes, but the original quote, i think more apropo to this situation is:

    “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”, Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), another brilliant guy we need around today.

    mash: thanks for the shout out, though originally i found “u” because timewarp linked u on religious policeman, so thanks timewarp.

    usnjay: there is NO doubt saddam h. is a proper bastard, right up there with the likes of hitler, stalin/lenin (one of who he looked up to), mussolini, franco etc etc.. and the world is a better place listening to his rants at trial then his rants killing his own citizenry.

    BUT, anyone who believes 9/11 had ANTHING to do with iraq excursion is simply mad, stupid (sorry mate), disillusioned, not been paying attention to the news or white hose press releases and exactly the kind of patsy the politicians want around.

    criticism of ones government is the FUNDAMNETAL right, and i say, obligation, and responsibility of every citizen, regardless of political leanings. u are exercising that right here, and u should be able to exercise that right anywhere. this is the power of democracy.

    many of us here have lived under dictatorship, or restrictive regimes, and we know what it means to have a free voice here in the US, free to criticise as well as applaude.

    to avoid the next 9/11 or 7/7 or madrid bombings, maybe pakistan and/or ksa is/would be a better target. both are known habitats of extremists, both govs. are doing as little as possible to apprehend them, though they themselves are targets of the same extremists.

    generals who lead troops into war have the greatest right to criticise the gov and their policy than anyone else. these people are the ones who face the realities of “mission accomplished” and the rest of the tag lines.

    criticise the actions, not the ones who question what we are being fed, when we know it to be blatantly false.

    other commenters: wonderful to see so many intelligent sorts on this board. not all of us are pinkos or commis (though there is nothign wrong with that), most of us are like great many conscientious people worldwide.

    keep up the good work mash. and kudos to a very bright daughter!!! my offspring is already smarter than me, and they’re not even 5!!

  2. Mash says:

    Sorry for the delay in responding I have been helping save capitalism at the Atlantic City casinos.

    Alfredo, thanks, I do enjoy the intelligent comments from everyone. usnjay definitely adds to the debate. It is always more healthy to have a different point of view. We can agree to disagree and maybe even learn something new. I just hope usnjay bring s his friends! 🙂

    dude, our offspring should be smarter than us. All is as it should be.

  3. T.R. Bundy says:

    Great analysis, but your statement,”I think our Republic is safe from a military takeover precisely because our men and women in the military are a disciplined group of people who understand and respect the Constitution of the United States.” may be a bit flawed. I listen to the so-called grilling of General Hayden,(the head of NSA when they started collecting the millions of phone records of American citizens,with apparently a system that he himself designed) by the senate yesterday. This military officer seems quite capable of lying to you while he arranges the takeover of this country in the name of national security.

  4. George Michael is also a great singer and was quite famous in the 80’s era.::`

  5. George Michael have created lots of scandal in the 90s he he,“

  6. i would have to say that george michael is a good singer despite the scandals ,,

  7. George Michael made some scandals a couple of years ago but i love his music~’-

  8. george michael is an scandalous gay music artist but i still admire his talent of singing:,;

  9. Fish Oil %0B says:

    i can say that George Michael is nice guy, he is really a very talented guy -`.

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