Sunday - November 04, 2001
Myers vs. Franks
What happens when a chair-bound space warrior is
in charge of the US Military?
I was
watching two diffferent pundit shows this Sunday (November 4,2001) and witnessed
the interview of General Myers by Tim Russert, and of General Tommy Franks by
George Stephanopoulis. What an amazing difference.
Let me start by saying that I'm sure General
Myers is a nice guy and smart and probably has a wonderful family due to his
great intelligence and character. I have no qualms with him as a man, or even as
a military officer of sorts.
I say "of
sorts" because I've never thought that the Air Force should be a separate
service and most of the Air Force is not even military in most respects. Douhet
and Mitchell are the heros of the Air Force and no two people could have been
more wrong in their vision of military capability and strategy. Controlling the
air space in a theater is simply another dimension of controlling the surface
and it was a huge mistake to make the Air Force a separate service back in 1947.
The control of air space is vital and important, too important to be removed
from the much more important control of the land or the sea. Those responsible
for military power should not have the control of such a vital part of their
environment removed from their auspices. Air Force officers generally believe
that a war can be won through bombing, and this Wellsian vision of "The Shape of
Things to Come" is a remnant of an early twentieth century socialist political
and military ideology.
Okay, my bias is
out and now I can make my
point.
General Myers is a gentle
person, soft spoken and careful of his remarks. But he doesn't have the right
ideas behind his thoughts and it becomes very clear the more he speaks. For
instance, when asked about a US Marine Corps general's comments that the Taliban
military power had been "eviscerated" General Myers made a joke along the lines
of "we were surprised that a Marine knew what 'eviscerated' meant." Honestly, it
was a typical interservice rivalry joke that I wouldn't take offense at except
that he didn't even smile. Almost as soon as the words were out, he realized
that he shouldn't have made the joke and his self-conscious reaction only made
his comment insulting rather than funny. It showed that he really, deep down
agreed with the sentiment and tried lamely to apologize. I've no doubt that his
apology was sincere, but I equally have no doubt from his guilty reaction that
he truly believed the joke had a ring of truth to it, and that he made this
comment because Marine Corps officers are predominantly unlike him - that is,
they are efficacious, dominant, and decidedly masculine, traits which General
Myers may have but doesn't display.
Let
me be clear that I'm not so sensitive that a jibe at my beloved Marine Corps
would get me incensed. I'm only commenting on General Myer's qualities as a
leader. He isn't one. He let his petty views of interservice differences come to
the front of his thoughts when asked an important question about another
General's assessment of the war. He just isn't able to think clearly and present
an image of a man in control of a situation. He's much better than his
predecessors, the obsequious Shelton and Shalikashvili, and the overtly power
hungry Colin Powell , mostly because he isn't an apologist to Clinton or, in the
case of Powell, lusting for media attention. His role is not to be a leader, but
to be an advisor to the President. It's sad that General Myers is in the
position he is in, not because he is guilty of malfeasance like his
predecessors, but because he just is incapable of truly understanding what is
needed in this war. I hope the President remembers that General Myers was taken
on in his current role because of his knowledge of space systems. This was the
President's number one area of concern with the missile defense program, but has
been degraded to a side issue with the eruption of this
war.
Now let's discuss General Tommy
Franks. This is a man who is a leader. This is a man who is not distracted by
his own petty jealousies of his fellow men as being more manly, like General
Myers is of the Marines. General Franks spoke eloquently and simply. He
presented his views and his views were unclouded by anything that distracted
from the mission he has been assigned. General Franks exuded strength,
determination, power, and a resolute attitude steered by intelligence and
thought. When you listen to General Franks speak, you are left with no doubt
that this man will not fail. His thoughtful statements inspire trust. This is
what a leader is.
With men like General
Franks as the area commander, we are sure to prevail in our attempt to kill all
the Taliban.
Go Back to the Start, Do Not Collect $200 Send me your two cents
|
