Think Long and Hard as You Contemplate What This Means

Four star flag officers, particularly Joint Combatant Commanders, do not resign in the middle of war because of a media report. I read the Esquire article from front to back 5 times, I cannot find a single negative quote from Adm. Fallon about President Bush. I see plenty of criticism from Barnett. The implication is Bush can't read, which is bullshit, or Fallon is being pushed out, which sounds more believable.

I might be mistaken, but I believe we are witness to Bush fire his first General/Admiral of the war. Think long and hard as you contemplate what that means.

There has been a political split in the Pentagon since 2005, when those who wanted to move forward under the cooperative model as opposed to the unilateral model for military action were able to shift the Pentagon position through the release of official strategic papers. Under Gates, the Pentagon has tried to shift to a cooperative phase from what has been a unilateral phase of military action. The cooperative approach is championed by Rice, Gates, and people like Adm. Fallon. Many neo-conservatives, which unfortunately includes a bunch of big blue Navy folks I won't name specifically, form up the unilateral military action side.

Dr. Barnett got the political context of his article all wrong, and by doing so Dr. Barnett opened himself up to be the political scapegoat for the administration. He should have seen this coming. Dr. Barnett needs an adviser, because he is a producer of the strategic vision that many young officers are building upon, we see it in Armed Forces Journal, Proceedings, and any number of professional papers that reflect "The Brief". However, by becoming the champion for what amounts to a shift to cooperative strategy, Dr. Barnett has made himself a target of the unilateral folks. I find it ironic that lack of partisanship is Dr. Barnett’s weakness. Because he isn’t partisan, he isn’t politically savvy enough to see this type of political blindside coming.

When you look at the state of our nation, sometimes I wonder if the enemy has us exactly where they want us. The right is having an uncivil political war between moderates and conservatives, throwing their own under a bus. The left is divided due to identity politics, and they are busy throwing their own under a bus, under all media spotlight no less. Meanwhile the Pentagon is divided on how to move forward in a war where they have poor intelligence, weak diplomacy, and limited leadership.

If you didn't read the Esquire piece, or didn't read my earlier response, you may of just missed what could in fact be a signal of war to Iran. I know one thing, if I was Iran, that is the only way to read this. There was a message for Iran in the Barnett article:

Admiral William Fallon shakes his head slowly, and his eyes say, These guys [Iran] have no idea how much worse it could get for them. I am the reasonable one.

Are we assuming the Bush administration can't read, Barnett is saying that, Barnett makes all the cuts at the Bush administration in the article, not Fallon. Barnett appears to have been dead right though. Reasonable people who do nothing wrong don't quit because a reporter writes an article bad about a politician, but unreasonable people can make that person quit. I really am stunned, I have never really believed the US was going to strike Iran until today.