Can Prez.O Rein In The Ceasarist Generals?

Mark Crispin Miller is nervous about it. He sees the possibility of another Truman/MacArthur-style contretemps in Iraq, as the military maneuvers to block Obama's "promised" withdrawal schedule from Iraq and redeployment to Afghanistan. It makes me nervous, too.

We’re all being quite low-key about this situation, but it’s a dire one. Either ours is a civilian government, with the military ultimately taking orders from civilians, or it’s not.

What if Gen. MacArthur had defied Pres. Truman and refused to step aside? What if the Joint Chiefs had defied JFK, and gone ahead with Operation Northwoods on their own? (Who says they didn't? Ed.)

We can’t have this. (Well, fuukin DUH. Which is why that military judge at Gitmo, along with the former commander ot the USS Cole, are WAAAAAY outta line, and shoulod by now bith be WAAAAY out of the service... Ed.)

MCM

February 3, 2009
Generals’ Revolt Threatens Obama Presidency
By Dave Lindorff

If an article by Gareth Porter in run by InterPress is correct that CentCom Commander Gen. David Petraeus and Iraq Commander Gen. Ray Odierno, backed by a group of lower-ranking generals, are planning to mount a public campaign to try and undermine President Obama’s plan for a withdrawal from Iraq in 16 months, Obama needs to act fast and nip this dangerous act of insubordination in the bud.

It was a similar act of insubordination on the part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that effectively destroyed the Clinton administration almost from day one. Recall that one of President Clinton’s first acts following his inauguration was to make good on a campaign promise to end discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military. His initial order was to simply end the ban on homosexuality in the military. But the Joint Chiefs publicly rebelled, and Clinton caved, coming up with the ridiculous and unworkable “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, under which gays and lesbians could serve in the military, but had to hide their sexual orientation or face ouster.

When Clinton, as commander in chief of the armed forces, allowed his generals to defy his orders, and, instead of sacking them all for insubordination and stripping off their stars, left them in their offices and surrendered to their objections, he didn’t just cave in to the military. He also alerted the Republican opposition that he was a political pushover.

Read on!