-Caveat Lector-
Washington Times-July 30, 1999
EDITORIAL
No way to treat a soldier
We have learned not to expect much by way of gratitude or
graciousness from the Clinton White House. We have seen old
friends and associates, public servants and volunteers alike
treated with summary coldness by the Clintons when they were no
longer needed. This White House is not a classy operation.
Still, ever so often, the shabbiness with which the
expendable are treated can be breathtaking. Case in point this
week is the dismissal of NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen.
Wesley Clark. Gen. Clark's three-year tour of duty was to have
ended in July 2000 -- and could at that time have been extended.
Indeed, given that NATO's political leaders all around declared
their pride in NATO's air-war victory over Serbia, one might well
have expected Gen. Clark to receive commendations and medals.
Instead, the general got the pink slip. The general was informed
this week, just days before the Balkan reconstruction summit in
Sarajevo in which he should be a key player, that he's out as of
April. Clearly the sentiment here in Washington is "Thanks for
nothing."
It is not just that the Gen. Clark was dismissed
prematurely, but also the way it was handled. When Gen. Clark
received the call on Tuesday, in the late afternoon, Washington
time, he was on business in Latvia. That would be about 10 p.m.
Latvian time. Within the hour, reporters started calling for
comment, which is evidently how long it took for the Pentagon to
leak the story.
The general's dismissal was described in unison by the White
House, the Pentagon and NATO headquarters in Brussels as entirely
"routine," just a normal rotation. It is nothing of the kind.
Gen. Clark was charged with the unpromising task of conducting an
ill-conceived and illogical campaign in Kosovo, and he performed
like a good soldier. There was friction, though, with Defense
Secretary William Cohen. who received the general's call on
Tuesday with frosty reserve. Steadfastly by Mr. Cohen's side have
been the members of the highly politicized Joint Chiefs of Staff,
who under Gen. Hugh Shelton ran interference for obviously
political reasons in the way Gen. Clark wanted to conduct the
war. Surely it is no coincidence that his successor will be Air
Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. No
doubt, he will be more to the liking of Mr. Cohen and friends.
Gen. Clark was, well, so bellicose.
The issues over which the military leadership clashed during
the Kosovo war are central to the failures now being reported in
damage assessments. It was the leadership here in Washington that
held back the deployment of the hapless and unused Apache
helicopters, which Gen. Clark badly needed. Likewise, the NATO
supreme commander strongly believed that ground troops were
needed to flush the Serbian forces out. Mr. Cohen was adamantly
opposed. What we have since learned confirms that the air
campaign at 15,000 feet did very little damage to Serbian forces
and equipment. Instead, it was the civilian population that took
the punishment, the horror of the mass graves in Kosovo far
exceeding international expectations.
The decision to dismiss the general has unnerved NATO
allies, among whom Gen. Clark is widely respected. It has also
raised questions about the American commitment to keeping troops
in Europe, given that Gen. Ralston has never held command in the
area. Further, the appointment of an Air Force general appears to
confirm that in the future American wars will be long-distance
air campaigns. All of which does not appear to bode well for the
future of NATO.
=================================================================
Kaddish, Kaddish, Kaddish, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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