Proving that his vaunted personal loyalty is about as real as his Texas accent, the President “reluctantly” acceded to the decision of Poppy, Jim Baker and the Cabal SecDef Robert Gates, and hence, Gates announced that General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will not be reappointed. General Pace kind of went over the top recently with his remarks that homosexuality shouldn’t be tolerated in the military because its “immoral,” and by sending in his personal recommendation letter for old Scooter Libby to get a lighter sentence… but, come to think of it, for that and for being so damned gung ho on the President’s Iraq policies, you’d think General Pace should be throwing his hat into the ring for the Republican Presidential nomination!
Instead, he’ll have to step aside for Gates’ choice, the much more Ready for Senate Confirmation Prime Time Navy Director of Operations Admiral Mike Mullen, who has yet to be tarred with his own involvement in the Iraq fiasco, and hence, will be much easier to sail through the Senate for confirmation… one wonders why, say, John Bolton is worthy of a coveted “recess appointment” to end run the Senate… while Pace gets thrown under the bus. See above re: personal loyalty.
This could be symptomatic of an overall weakening of the President, from all the I’s (well, Iraq and Immigration, anyway).
Taking us to the Grey Lady observing that as the “Grand Bargain” on immigration reform appears to have collapsed in the Senate, the President’s power continues to wane… wane… and wane… Which is good, because a discussion of what was wrong with that bill would have taken years and cost millions of lives… Ironic that it is nativist Republicans who killed it, given that you’d think it would be Republicans who LIKE the idea of setting up a legally defined underclass of low wage workers unprotected by worker safety or wage/hour laws all flooding our borders to drive down the wages of American workers… whereas Democrats just might oppose the bill for these reasons… but that’s not how things go anymore.
The Republicans all have to worry about being soft on swarthy people, because by and large, they are now a Deep South/Mountain West regional party, whose
constituents… just don’t want them to be soft on swarthy people. Illegal migrants from Mexico will fit that bill nicely. Democrats, by contrast, you’d think would be looking out for their union-member and African American and Latino working class constituents, and not so keen to force them to compete with line jumpers from abroad… And you’d be wrong again. Because both Big-Democrats and the Bush-Lieges were playing for the marginal pander to some Latinos… all bets are off on this… and apparently on everything…
But we can agree… while the swagger isn’t out of Bush’s personal bearing… any further advances on his agenda (whether Pace or Race Immigration…) will actually at least have to have some popular support, for a change. Curiouser and curiouser…
tdog
Only those who hate freedom, and are committed to its defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan and yes, in America, are cheered by the News of Peter Pace’s deprature as JCS Chairman. The Democrat party has proved itself to be an enemy of freedom, and blogs like this are its disgusting and despicable handmaidens. Shame on you.
Well, FL, I’ll respect your right to disagree. (But then, that’s the liberal in me, eh?) Also– it’s “the Democratic” Party… there’s an “ic” on the end of it, which is doubtless how you feel about the party anyway.
I daresay, nothing has been more detrimental to our ultimate victory in Iraq or Afghanistan then our inability to win the hearts and minds of the locals of the nations we have invaded, because, sadly, some, perhaps even you, have been relying only on base emotion and perhaps jingoism, and NOT ACTUALLY THINKING about what it takes to win a war. (And frankly, “we are winning because we believe we are winning” is the stuff of Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, and not of functioning adults.) Hence, some have decided that those we have attacked and occupied are “the enemy” rather than what they really are: the prize. (That, and still failing to think, we sent inadequate manpower, and lacked either a grand strategy or an exit strategy, and were very much mistaken about WMDs, etc.)
Insofar as Gen. Peter Pace has put aside decades of his own Marine Corps experience (and centuries of its doctrine) and been overly deferential to his incompetent civilian overlords, and as such, with his connivance, he has helped them flush what HE KNOWS it takes to win down the toilet should make anyone– and everyone– at least ask the question of whether he might not be best replaced in his post.
I neither applaud nor condemn Gen. Pace’s removal– I merely comment on it, and note that the President has gone to the wall over personnel choices far more troubling (to me, anyway) than Gen. Pace, who is if nothing else, at least a competent professional.
Frankly, I’m not exactly sure what you’re point is? Are you saying that our Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is an enemy of freedom, because he has selected Admiral Mullen to succeed Gen.Pace? If Gen. Pace is so damned important to the effort, than please tell me why the PRESIDENT is not willing to go to the wall for him? Are you saying that the President and SecDef are not committed to our winning? If that’s the case, then let me just ask it… why do YOU hate this country?
Well, usually I don’t add a “me too” to TD’s responses. But for the record, the Democratic Party is the enemy of acting and planning, as well as nominating a candidate who can win the presidency. Hope that resolves the argument.