With the shock still fresh over the sacking of Gen. Stanley Mc Chrystal, it fell to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to put the case in perspective: “We are and must remain a neutral instrument of the state, accountable to and respectful of those leaders, no matter which party holds sway or which person holds a given office.”
Mullen’s statement came as a defense of President’s Obama decision to replace McChrystal, but it also served as a clear expression of the military’s submission to civilian leaders. Sadly, the admiral’s comment was necessary because of the dangerous divisions the incident exposed.
While McChrystal is a genuine patriot and warrior, too many Americans were ready to excuse the disparaging comments by him and his staff on the grounds that Obama deserves the mocking rebuke. Those defenses left me with the unhappy conclusion that the disuniting of America is surging ahead at a heart-stopping pace.
If not in a case like this, there is no place left where a single standard of conduct still applies.
Everything is bitterly politicized, including the view of the military’s place in society. The saying that “where you stand depends on where you sit” is being taken to a troubling extreme.
“I think you may have it backwards,” reader Nancy King wrote. “McChrystal deserves to become president so he can actually fight to win, and Obama deserves to be fired.”
Another letter, unsigned, reads: “General McChrystal only said what millions of people are coming to realize, this administration is in over its head.”
They were typical of a big slice of the reaction to my column saying Obama had to fire the general.
On one hand, the tirades reflect that a majority of Americans are growing sour on Obama. Count me among them.
On the other hand, some of the defense of McChrystal threatens to elevate political differences above the rule of law and the Constitution. Count me out on that.
Howard Bixler, of New Jersey, wrote: “Almost all of the attributed remarks were not even made by the general and are even one of those statements untrue? In my opinion (if US citizens are still permitted to express one) Obama is by far the worst excuse for a president our nation has ever suffered.”
E-mailer Nelson Smilow, who described himself as a retired teacher, said “the issue involves the competence of the president’s leadership, where the lack of leadership imperils the lives of US soldiers. Maybe by putting himself ‘in the line of fire,’ McChrystal can alert America to its mortal military, social, political and economic folly.”
If these views are taken to their logical conclusion, military leaders could ignore elected civilian leaders they don’t like. The ultimate result could make the United States just another unstable democracy, where the real power lies with the gun.
That’s not to suggest everyone who urged Obama to keep McChrystal in charge of Afghanistan believed the general was justified in his comments. Many conceded he was out of bounds, but thought he was uniquely qualified to lead the war effort at this critical time.
That’s not unreasonable, given the stakes, but the double standard would be deeply corrosive to military order. Rank-and-file soldiers couldn’t get away with openly disparaging McChrystal, and he can’t be exempt from the same rules for his bosses.
My view is that McChrystal may well have spoken the truth about Obama and the national-security team, but I can’t defend his right to speak it publicly. As several readers noted, freedom of speech is at times incompatible with military service. This is one of those times.
$ilver lining amid gloom and Bloom
The budget deal between Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council contains three key elements that make it a pleasant surprise. There are no major tax hikes, the number of police officers holds steady, and all firehouses will be kept open.
When the year started, I would have bet the other way on all three.
In a way, of course, each is a no-brainer. With so many New Yorkers squeezed by the sluggish economy, with terror threats and some crime rising, and with warnings from the FDNY that the initial plan to close 20 firehouses could mean slower response times, common sense prevailed.
But when it comes to budgets, common sense ain’t always common. If it were, we’d have tax cuts to help families and businesses.
Still, compared to the debacle in Albany, the city is a model of thrift. The state budget is three months late and each day a new tax slithers out of the back room.
Gov. Paterson also said he didn’t want borrowing or gimmicks, but the budget will be loaded with tricks that aim to hide the deficit instead of closing it.
Bloomberg has been an ardent tax-and-spender, but his choice to go for about 2,000 layoffs shows he recognizes the limits, especially as Washington’s spending spree means billions more will be siphoned from New Yorkers each year.
“Not raising taxes was even more difficult this year than during the boom,” said Carol Kellermann, head of the private Citizens Budget Commission. “The mayor understands that, in this economy, it would be anti-stimulative, and could send people fleeing.”
Bloomy knows Albany would look at city tax hikes as a green light to double up, so that, too, restrained his inclinations.
Still, with a total price tag of more than $66 billion, the notion that the city budget is “austere,” as the New York Times put it, is ridiculous. The increase in spending is about 6 percent, hardly the definition of penny-pinching.
Brand’s in the can
Best line about CNN’s hiring Eliot Spitzer comes from a disgruntled insider at the cable network. “It’s the destruction of a brand. It’s like Campbell’s Soup putting O.J. Simpson on the can.”
IT’S TIME TO DISMANTLE THE DO-LITTLE LMDC
It wasn’t a shock when someone in Gov. Paterson’s office floated the idea of shutting down the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. The shock was that the agency is still alive.
Charged with leading the planning and rebuilding of Ground Zero, the LMDC defines sleepy. It played a big role in the aftermath of 9/11 but through time, inertia and drifting leadership, it’s outlived its usefulness. Its staff of 35 is a luxury nobody can afford.
Even worse, as board member Julie Menin discovered, it’s been sitting on $275 million appropriated by Congress more than seven years ago. It also has no plans for the site of the Deutsche Bank building, which is finally being demolished.
“It’s inexcusable,” said Menin, who doubles as the chair of Community Board 1. “There are a lot of needs down here.”
Indeed there are, and many area tangles are far from resolved. But the LMDC is no longer part of the solution, and it ought to gracefully slide off into the sunset.
O’s title wave
According to The Weekly Standard, Rashad Hussain, President Obama’s envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, used a speech last week to give his boss a new title. Hussain called Obama America’s “educator-in-chief on Islam.” Who knew?