Monday, May 09, 2005

Operation CYA engaged...

I have not served in the military. I say that because it is pretty clear from watching the "tee-vee news" that only those who have actually served in the military are allowed to criticize the Pentagon.

Oops, I forgot about Kerry.

I guess the rule is that only those who do not criticize the military are allowed to comment on the Pentagon.

Further, I am not an experienced military strategist like Sean Hannity. After all, Hannity has made many more last stands in 'Risk' than I have. Over at FoxNews, I have heard that Sean's countless, desperate attempts to hold Irkutsk, as Neil Cavuto's hordes surround his last plastic army, are legendary. Why the 'Song of Roland' has nothing on Sean's brave plea to "roll a six".

Nevertheless, I noticed that outgoing Joint Chiefs Chair General Richard Myers is talented at the time-tested military tactic known as covering one's ass. The L.A. Times manages to write an article that has Myers' advocates proclaiming how "brave" and "effective" he was by being Rummy's toady.

By keeping a low profile, Pentagon strategists say, Myers avoided the tactics that cost other chiefs their jobs.


That "other" would be General Shinseki, who told Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz that their Iraqi troop deployment plans were woefully insufficient (with the added irritant of being absolutely correct).

Effective low-key tactics under Myers, therefore, were allowing Rummy to have his way on "small" matters like invading Iraq!

However, there is one notable exception, to the low-key approach that Myers' defenders are desperate to point out. The policies the led to Abu Ghraib:

Uncomfortable with some of the interrogation tactics at the Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, Myers refused to join discussions with Rumsfeld and others without military lawyers, a group that had questioned many administration policies, the senior Defense officials said. After Myers' legal advisor was left out of the routine meetings, the general told the secretary he would not attend a meeting without the advisor, one of the officials said. Again without awaiting a response, the official said, Myers stormed out.


Gee, wonder why that is?