Missing the Point

For John, BLUF:  Is truth and a common reading of things on vacation in Washington?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Columnist Margaret Carlson is one of my favorites on TV.  In Sunday's edition of The [Lowell] Sun Ms Carlson talks about "Why Chuck Hagel won't end up like Susan Rice".♠  Charles Timothy Hagel is the former Senator from Nebraska, with two Purple Hearts from Viet-nam.

Rice was torn apart by senators who wanted to use the attack on the U.S. special mission in Benghazi, Libya, to damage the president, as well as by those who wanted the job to go to a male rival they liked better.  (Actually, the membership of both groups is the same:  Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.)  Although the Benghazi report held Rice blameless, she was gone by the time it came out.

Of course the Benghazi Report held Ambassador Rice blameless!

The hit on Ms Rice was that she went out on all those Sunday news shows and said the Benghazi incident was a spontaneous reaction on the part of Libyans to a 15 minute YouTube Video, when, by that point informed opinion in and out of Government suspected a deliberate attack by a terrorist organization.  The video was a cover story and it was a very poor one, especially considering that it appeared to not just sacrifice, but shred, the First Amendment rights of someone in this nation

Ambassador Rice gets an "A" for loyalty and a "D" for having an active imagination and the ability to persuade her masters that they are on a wrong course.

Yes, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina may well be total jerks (although I seriously doubt it), but trying to blame Ms Rice's problems on their desire to "damage the President" misses the real point.  Shame on Ms Carlson.

But, the article is about the nomination of Senator Chuck Hagel.  Ms Carlson tries to show that Senator Hagel lacks support on the left and the right, but he will slide right through. She does mention opposition from pro-Israeli lobbies, who see him insufficiently pro-Isaraeli, "especially his suggestion that the U.S. talk to Hamas."  I say, sit down and talk with anybody.  But, it is fair to ask about the nature of the relationship between the US Government and Hamas, even as the Governing Authority in the Gaza Strip.  That is along the lines of Chancellor Hitler opening discussions with Governor Huey P Long North Korean Leader Kim Jung-un opening discussions with the [former] Governor of New Mexico.♥  But, it is mostly about the narrative about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

What Obama needs to be able to do is talk back to the generals.  Hagel can help him do that, and that’s why Republicans are so upset.  Hagel’s flip on Iraq disturbed their comfortable certainty.  Letting Army General David Petraeus have his way with the surge gave Republicans a fig leaf with which to claim victory there.  It bought them time to get out without admitting defeat.

Frankly, those wars are about to pass to the historians.  It may well end up sad for those seeking a modern freedom in Afghanistan, especially women.  On the other hand, President Karzai may well pull it off, and if he does, kudos to him and also to President Obama for helping to midwife it.♦

The real issue is the Defense Budget.  It is going to have to contract.  The trick will be to retain short term readiness while maintaining the basis for long term readiness, including things as different as officer and NCO education and Research and Development in the technology areas.  It will not be easy.  Already Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is talking about shutting down the Civilian Side of DoD with rolling furloughs.  But, which would you rather have?  Your neighbor Sally without pay for a month or a whole bunch of Suesy's on the street and undernourished due to cutbacks in entitlement programs.♣

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Remember, articles in The Sun go away after a while, to a different place.  I will not be updating their links unless I am bedridden and have read every book in the house.  And, besides, the Editor tells me the links cost money after a few weeks.  It is the new business model.  Here is an alternative link.
♥  Yes, what WAS the purpose of that visit?
♦  And to all those Four Star Generals on the ground, whom Ms Carlson seems to disparage.
♣  Yes, I know that we can make up the difference by smarter management and eliminating fraud, waste and abuse, but the time to start those efforts was back in 2011, when Sequestration first emerged.  Now we are facing a time compression abort.