Thursday, August 13, 2009
Oh, Christ ...
Are we capitalizing the word "veterans" now, too?
Mr. Black-Berets-From-China, now the Secretary ofData Security Breaches Veterans Affairs appears in -- wait for it -- The Huffington Post.
What's next? Tom Daschle writing about health care in Mad Magazine?
Mr. Black-Berets-From-China, now the Secretary of
What's next? Tom Daschle writing about health care in Mad Magazine?
Labels: generals, soldiers' issues, The Sainted General Shinseki, veterans
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Obama vs. his generals
Now this is interesting:
Not convinced? Well, if he's not convinced by the combined advice of Gates, Petraeus and Adm. Mullen, speaking with one voice, then obviously, Obama's been convinced by someone or something else. He's basing his decisionmaking on some other source of information and advice he considers more reliable.
The question is, if he doesn't accept the considered professional judgment of Petraeus, Gates and Mullen, then who's advice is he taking?
I guess this is that retreat from empiricism I've heard so much about. Or more precisely, it's Ready, Fire, Aim decision-making (RFA-DM).
On a more meta level, it's interesting trying to parse who's doing the leaking here. If it's DoD people doing the leaking, then Obama deserves better than what he's getting from the DoD. That's unacceptable.
Likewise, if it's White House people doing the leaking, then Obama's staff is deliberately undercutting the perceived authority of our senior military leadership - authority they were so exquisitely hypersensitive about when it came to the sainted General Shinseki. And that's unacceptable, too.
It will be hilariously funny to watch the libtards, who were so orgasmic when a few Generals Eason, Sanchez, Zinni, Newbold, Swannack, and the others were publicly critical of the Bush Administration, fly into high hysterics when retired flag officers state what they really think about President Obama's leadership.
But if Obama continues on his present course, and a bitch fit ensues between Gates/Petraeus and the White House, then rightly or wrongly, you are going to see a Generals' revolt that will make the problems the Bush Administration faced 2006 look like a parade ground exercise.
Splash, out
Jason
CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21.
But Obama informed Gates, Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that he wasn't convinced and that he wanted Gates and the military leaders to come back quickly with a detailed 16-month plan, according to two sources who have talked with participants in the meeting.
Not convinced? Well, if he's not convinced by the combined advice of Gates, Petraeus and Adm. Mullen, speaking with one voice, then obviously, Obama's been convinced by someone or something else. He's basing his decisionmaking on some other source of information and advice he considers more reliable.
The question is, if he doesn't accept the considered professional judgment of Petraeus, Gates and Mullen, then who's advice is he taking?
I guess this is that retreat from empiricism I've heard so much about. Or more precisely, it's Ready, Fire, Aim decision-making (RFA-DM).
On a more meta level, it's interesting trying to parse who's doing the leaking here. If it's DoD people doing the leaking, then Obama deserves better than what he's getting from the DoD. That's unacceptable.
Likewise, if it's White House people doing the leaking, then Obama's staff is deliberately undercutting the perceived authority of our senior military leadership - authority they were so exquisitely hypersensitive about when it came to the sainted General Shinseki. And that's unacceptable, too.
It will be hilariously funny to watch the libtards, who were so orgasmic when a few Generals Eason, Sanchez, Zinni, Newbold, Swannack, and the others were publicly critical of the Bush Administration, fly into high hysterics when retired flag officers state what they really think about President Obama's leadership.
But if Obama continues on his present course, and a bitch fit ensues between Gates/Petraeus and the White House, then rightly or wrongly, you are going to see a Generals' revolt that will make the problems the Bush Administration faced 2006 look like a parade ground exercise.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: Army, generals, Iraq, Obama, Warfighting
Friday, November 14, 2008
Congratulations General Dunwoody!
The U.S. Army promotes the first woman to 4-star rank.
Looks like she was a loggie coming up. Outstanding. War is simply a logistical shoving match, sporadically interrupted by gunfire.
She was also the 82nd Airborne's first female battalion commander, some years ago.
Hooah-tov!
Splash, out
Jason
Looks like she was a loggie coming up. Outstanding. War is simply a logistical shoving match, sporadically interrupted by gunfire.
She was also the 82nd Airborne's first female battalion commander, some years ago.
Hooah-tov!
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: Army, generals, soldiers' issues, women
Friday, September 05, 2008
Paul Eaton returns!
Here he is getting eviscerated by FOX News reporter Megyn Kelly (who disemboweled US magazine the other day!)
Just watch the vid! This guy made major general? Can you imagine him as a middle-ranking officer giving a tough briefing? (No wonder he didn't like Rumsfeld!)
Long-time readers will remember this post on Paul Eaton from a few years back.
Splash, out
Jason
Just watch the vid! This guy made major general? Can you imagine him as a middle-ranking officer giving a tough briefing? (No wonder he didn't like Rumsfeld!)
Long-time readers will remember this post on Paul Eaton from a few years back.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: Army, generals, Politics
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Admiral Fallon
Good riddance.
Sorry, if you can't commit as totally and to victory as the soldiers in the field, you don't need to be CENTCOM commander.
To see why Tuesday's "retirement" of Navy Adm. William "Fox" Fallon as head of U.S. Central Command is good news, all you have to do is look at the Esquire profile that brought about his downfall.
Its author, Thomas P.M. Barnett, a former professor at the Naval War College, presents a fawning portrait of the admiral -- a service he previously performed for Donald Rumsfeld. But evidence of Fallon's supposed "strategic brilliance" is notably lacking. For example, Barnett notes Fallon's attempt to banish the phrase "the Long War" (created by his predecessor) because it "signaled a long haul that Fallon simply finds unacceptable," without offering any hint of how Fallon intends to defeat our enemies overnight. The ideas Fallon proposes -- "He wants troop levels in Iraq down now, and he wants the Afghan National Army running the show throughout most of Afghanistan by the end of this year" -- would most likely result in security setbacks that would lengthen, not shorten, the struggle.
Sorry, if you can't commit as totally and to victory as the soldiers in the field, you don't need to be CENTCOM commander.
