Mullen rejects Cheney worldview
So far, I hold Adm. Mike Mullen, the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in much higher regard than his predecessor, Gen. Peter Pace.
A few weeks ago, he banned the use of the phrase “Global War on Terror” in his office, and prohibited using it “in any future correspondence.” In July, he acknowledged “there does not appear to be much political progress” in Iraq. In June, we learned Mullen didn’t approve of the “surge” policy from the outset.
And this week, Mullen apparently has rejected the Cheney worldview that has dominated Bush administration’s thinking for more than six years.
The new chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, expressed deep concerns that the long counterinsurgency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have so consumed the military that the Army and Marine Corps may be unprepared for a high-intensity war against a major adversary.
He rejected the counsel of those who might urge immediate attacks inside Iran to destroy nuclear installations or to stop the flow of explosives that end up as powerful roadside bombs in Iraq or Afghanistan, killing American troops.
With America at war in two Muslim countries, he said, attacking a third Islamic nation in the region “has extraordinary challenges and risks associated with it.” The military option, he said, should be a last resort.
I guess it’s only a matter of time before Limbaugh smears the Admiral as a “phony” soldier, but in the meantime, it’s refreshing to hear the Chairman of the JCS saying so many sensible things.
Well, I guess he's fired. . .
Sounds good. What is the catch?
second that
How soon before Mullen is shown the door....and labeled a malcontent?
OH OH !!! He's telling the Truth ... That wont go well with Bush and Cheney.
How did he sneak in there anyway? This would make him the only member of this Administration with a working Brain.
Mullen's days are numbered. Any military leader or veteran who goes against the Chickenhawks of BushCo will be swiftboated and thrown under the bus.
Is the pendulum swinging back towards some common sense?
If so...hurrah!
Or Cheney will invite him on a hunting trip.
I wish he would also say we should stop using the word, "homeland".
Good cop. Bad cop.
Meaningless. Nothing will change.
What does the administration think. Send further troops into another war, and leave America empty handed for a potential attack from any other country that may have the ability to enter the mainland. Hell there's not even enough contractors left at home to stave off a full scale attack.
This General APPEARS to have the foresight, we'll see how long it stands. Any move by the administration good or bad is suspect to buy time to gain support for another "venture."
My goodness . Someone that thinks rationally. Where did he come from?. There may be hope for America.
With America at war in two Muslim countries...
Isn't a war over when the other country's military has been defeated, the government has been taken over, and the victor's forces occupy the country of the vanquished?
he must be stopped!!
Some folks dream of retiring early. Others take steps to make it happen.
He will be missed.
War veteran John McCain got a taste of BushCo's swiftboating in the 2000 South Carolina primary for his straight talkin'. The new John McCain pictured here http://kmareka.com/?p=526 learned his lesson and has fallen in line quite nicely since. Mullen will end up being BushCo's next Manchurian Candidate if he's not careful.
after years of adminstration officials getting public praise and credit for simply "saying" something, i urge everyone to wait until the actions match the words. remember that the motto of this administration is "all the sizzle without the steak."
When are they going to say, "His statements were taken out of context." When is he going to deny that he said it?
Have a nice retirement, Admiral!
Glad to see Pace gone.
WOW ..l'm impressed...FINALLY a guy who has a grasp on reality. ...l wonder how long he'll last in this blood thirsty criminal bush regime?
You see, Iran *is* the 'major adversary' as far as Bush/Cheney are concerned. And the serious implications are hyuck-giggle World War III hyuck-hyuck-grin.
The Admiral did say earlier that we should not take any options off the table regarding Iran, so it is refreshing to see him push for greater diplomatic efforts on behalf of the uniformed services as JCS Chairman. Lower ranks are advocating the same thing.
I do wonder if the Navy might mutiny if an airstrike is ordered on Iran, from the carriers.
Andy
I'm surprised Mullen hasn't found himself at the bottom of the Potomac with a pair of concrete shoes. Daddy Dick and Chimpy are getting soft with just 15 months to go.
The military option, he said, should be a last resort.
Where have we heard that one before?
Uh, guys? Hello? It's a trick.
He's saying sensible sounding stuff now so Dems et al will all cluck cluck that he's a "serious, sensible" guy. In six months he'll be seriously, sensibly arguing that we have no choice but to attack Iran.
Trust no one.
Wisps of the truth coming out of the "inner circles", serious questions popping up at pressers, I think someone misses Rove's influence already!
I've been saying for years that any politician or government apparatchik using the phrase "war on terror" should be immediately escorted out back and horse-whipped within an inch of their life. It's such a nonsensical phrase.
Turk Meister @ 13:
read: insurgency / revolt / self-liberation
"The military option, he said, should be a last resort."
Isn't that the truth!!! Thank Christ someone's finally speaking rationally. I hope he manages to say on and that his actions match his words.
I imagine behind the scene he has a lot of military support. The big wheels in the military know our forces are just about drained, even if they aren't allowed to say it in public. I bet he is reflecting what is being secretly told to him by the Generals in the field.
How long until he gets shot in the face ...
Mullen's comments are code for 'dont try that nuclear fly-over trick again, Cheney/NeoCabal, or you will have a military coup on your hands'.
Forget what you heard about the Minot/Barksdale Air Force investigation. That was for the comfort of the populace. The orders to outfit a B-52 [B ALWAYS stands for Bomber] with six nukes came from the top and outside the Air Force. I would suggest they discovered who gave that order, since every nuclear bomb in the United States and elsewhere is reported on, logged, every hour on the hour. Barksdale air force guys blew the whistle on this operation by reporting it to Army Times immediately and stopping it. Think about this.
Mullen's remarks in public were the fastest way to get the word out to military brass around the world. This was no mistake. The military is not going to go along with orders to bomb Iran.
"...it’s refreshing to hear the Chairman of the JCS saying so many sensible things."
Amen
Global War on a tactic? Never made sense. I thought we went to war against nations, and fought tactics with superior strategies.
Mullen will probably get slimed by the Clear Channel and Fox axis of bedwetters
Didn't the new British Prime Minister also say he didn't want to use the phrase "global war on terror"? Could it be that the curtains are parting and some light is getting through?
Please return your invitation to the AIPAC Costume Ball.
Thanks
Norman Podhoretz
aaahhh...just another phony soldier.
hareli @ 33:
I have read that one of the nukes is still missing.
Lets not be fooled here. This so called "last resort" is a smokescreen to give the illusion that there's now a sane voice of reason in this administration. Do you really think this administration would bring on anyone that didn't subscribe to their twisted world view?
Headline: "Today we struck Iran as a last resort to avoid a smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud. -Bush"
ralph @ 1:
Most likely. I bet Cheney just had a heart attack after reading/hearing Mr. Mullen's view.
>I do wonder if the Navy might mutiny if an airstrike is ordered on Iran, from the carriers.
Andy
The scary thing is that the Navy has not been much involved with the present Mess ('o potamia) and will see Iran as their big chance at the plate.
I suspect that the first sign that something is about to happen in Iran is that we'll hear about Mike Mullen resigning to spend more time with his family.
I hope this means that the grownups are finally coming back to take charge? If so, it's long past due.
No Christmas Card from Normy Podhoretz for you, Admiral Mullen.
Geno in Ptown @ 40:
His heart runs on batteries. Are you sure it's real?
Boop @ 34:
I take it that you won't be jumping on the Global War on Mean Girl Faces (the GWOMGF, pronounced gwomguff)? The war goal is to make smiley faces a global requirement....or else. Now that's how a superpower rolls.
While this is good news in the present. It is rather disturbing that the military is airing political views. Cheney must be curbed, but I would prefer he be curbed by civilian oversight.
He is in good company.
A Majority of Americans reject Cheney and Bush too.
Maybe Adm. Mullen and our Millitary can help us make sense of this....
Quite a Pattern we are seeing.
August 2007
Just as the Congress is about to vote on the Wiretapping FISA Bill..
.... The Bush Administration uses a bogus terror threat on Capitol Hill to manipulate members of Congress just hours before a crucial vote on the FISA bill last August
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/25/countdown-bush-used-bogus-terro...
April 16, 2007
Just as the Gonzales Hearing were about to get underway in the Senate
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/04/16/breaking-gonzales-hearing-postponed/
....Mass shootings and killings at Virginia Tech POSTPONE the Gonzales hearings.
http://www.legitgov.org/virginia_tech_shooting_oddities.html
Unfortunately, Mullen, like GWBush, takes orders from his civilian Comm. in Chief Cheney.
I wonder when cheney will force him to "retire, to spend more time with his family"?
foo @ 46:
You're kidding right? What political views did Mullen espouse? Is it anything like the political views that Petraeus spouted in news papers prior to the 2004 election? No? I didn't think so. Everything that was said in that article is within the parameter of his job at the JCS.
Is he fired yet?
Why are comments closed on the Obama Filibuster thread?
Ex-Canuck @ 49:
The list of potential honorees for the John N. Mitchell Annual Retirement Excuse Award is quite long this year.
new swiftboat candidate??? JD
Geno in Ptown @ 41:
one can only hope...
IgnoranceIsNotBliss @ 54:
quick put it together and
pissed off patricia @ 9:
Yes!! and get rid of the name "Patriot"-Act.
They make the US sound like Russia or worse.
Boop @ 34:
I take it you won't be jumping on the Global War on Mean Girl Faces (GWOMGF) any time soon? Mean girl faces are an up and coming major threat to our national security. The GWOMGF goal/strategy/tactic is to stop mean girl faces by all means necessary ......or else .....nothing's off the table. Now that's how a superpower rolls.
Look Mommy a rational human being in our Government.
Hey Rush, you asswipe. Here's your new "phony soldier"
Looks like we finally have a "real man" military guy who's going to stand up for our country, instead of for the crazed fearmongerers.
right on! @ 30:
Q. How many times did the Chimp in Chief say that in the winter of '02-'03?
A. About a million
It's as meaningless now as it was then.
He's our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
For the USA
?I'm sorry, he sounds so rational that it just threw me!
I have been wondering how long it would be before military men said enough with gutting the strength and effectiveness of the military. They have big egos too and no one wants to see their baby looking so weak.
Mullen is a breath of fresh air, but he's an advisor not a decision maker. We're led to believe he has all this power, but he really has little in the way of formal power other than making sure the combatant and unified commanders get from the services the resources they need.
That being said, his informal power is huge. By virtue of his position he can get away with telling the president he has no clothes.
GWOT always has been the lamest phrase and now it's really coming around to bite us as we are supporting cross border attacks by Kurds into Iran and Turkey committing what most (other than their supporters) would call acts of terrorism.
Peter Pace peed on a peck of pickled pricks.
Isn't this just newspeak, like janitor to custodian to sanitation engineer?
Garbage by any other name still smells.
Bob in N. Thailand @ 59:
It's being changed to Fatherland and the Enabling Act.
eLad in Mo @ 40:
Absolutely. Don't believe the hype. This is a Trojan Horse.
The administration has adapted to the new frequencies. They know they can't win on fear alone this time. They've been trying the whole "smoking gun is a mushroom cloud" routine with Iran and, if the polls are any indication, the public ain't buying.
They can't sell this one on fear, not this time, so they're switching to "serious, sensible" mode. To win the overwhelming anti-war majority back over to the "bomb Iran" camp, they have to appear reluctant.
It's a trap. Be skeptical.
jimmiraybob @ 60:
Those Mean girls and their eye rolling mockery Oh noes! There's a smilie just for them... :roll: and :twisted:
Mean girls. naughty mean grrrrrrls.
wasaperson @ 58:
Gremlins from the Kremlin.
miss_kitty @ 72:
Can you introduce me?
Remember there are worse things than having your career smeared by the administration.
Speak for the nation Adm Mullen.
Who would you rather be remembered as Shinseki or Pace?
" the Admiral as a “phony” soldier"
Well, this would be a phony SAILOR, under the Limbaughian disapproval.
Unlike Captain Crunch, his boss.
Navy guys will give you the straight scoop.
The American people should reject Cheney altogether—as in oust!
Don't expect too much from this. He may be a breath of fresh air or just another windbag pretending to be a man of principle. If the former, he's a goner; if the latter, his words and deeds will give him away in the next week or so.
his words and deeds will give him away in the next week or so.
Yeah, it's rope-a-dope. He opens with "invading Iran will be a strategic nightmare" and gets all our support. Then he closes with "that's why we need to redouble our efforts in Iraq, so we can neutralize Iran without an invasion" and then we're all locked into backing the Iraq mission as the "sensible" alternative to invading Iran.
You don't sell a man a swimming pool. You sell him a house...THEN you sell him a swimming pool.
If he's chair of the JCS, does that mean it's *impossible* to attack Iran without his authorization?
So, which "high-intensity war against a major adversary" is Adm. Mullen referring to? Since there are only two countries that currently qualify as "major" adversaries who could launch a "high-intensity" war - Russia and China - what are we to make of his remark?
Anyone following the reports coming out of Africa on the proliferation of Chinese "businessmen" all over the continent, wheeling and dealing for scarce global resources? Didn't China and Russia recently hold joint military exercises?
Maybe I'm wrong... perhaps Mullen was referring to Venezuela or Cuba, who at this very moment are poised to strike our homeland / fatherland with everything in their arsenal.
Mr Pelicano @ 82:
Heck, with the way our military is depleted right now, both could probably invade and take over DC in no time.
Ron @ 39:
I heard that too. Who walks off a base with a nuke? Keeping it as proof somewhere? Who knows.
It is time, and past time, for the JCS to go INTO the White House, ARREST Bush and Cheney for Treason, and declare new elections. NOW, not next year. There is no reason why we have to have thousands or tens of thousands die just to worship an every-four-years schedule ...
Charles @ 81:
Like all members of the military they take an oath to faithfully obey the orders of the "Commander and Thief... er... Chief." If Bush say attack he will attack Iran and the probability of that order being given is very high.
Bush and Cheney don't give a shit, their wallstreet buds are making money hand over fist off this war. Cheney's stock options in Halliburton are soaring and he has moved his investments into Euros and European funds. Bush is bought a 10,000 acre ranches in Paraguay.
So these jackasses don't care that they are bankrupting the US or that the entire war has been paid for by borrowed money that we haven't paid a nickel off of as of yet, or that the US dollar is falling like a rock and foreign investors who used to buy out Treasuries are quietly selling them and liquidating their US dollars as fast as they can without causing a panic.
Bush can start another war and leave it for the next President who will have to raise taxes for his "borrow and spend" war funding. Then the GOP can howl about the Dems raising taxes and as Bill Mahre pointed out... "The Republicans have such a scam going. First they get in power and screw everything in the government up and then say... see we told you big government doesn't work!"
So far this week the State department has come out and told us that they can't account for 1.2 Billion dollars that was supposed to be spent in Iraq arming and training the Iraqi police. Add this to the 9 billion that went missing in the first few months of the war and the costs of the 350,000 weapons that went missing and you've got quite a stack of cash that just mysteriously vanished.
So will they give the order to bomb Iran? You betcha!
dothehop @ 83:
IRAQ is NOTHING. Wait until Hugo Chavez gets done with his campaign to take over South America...We have an enemy on THIS side of the Atlantic far worse than Al Qaida...this sleazebag has submarines, MIGs, weapons galore, heavy connections with Iran, and incessant greed for power coupled with a lack of brains and a communist agenda he is promoting with a huge blast of anti-US propaganda. My wife is Venezuelan, and I have been visiting there and watching that nation deteriorate incredibly under Chavez's rule...the man is a ticking time bomb. For all the "anti-communist" rhetoric spouted in the US by Washington's windbag politicians over the last 50 years, and the thousands of deaths in Viet Nam and Korea "fighting communism", the stupid bastards in Washington are practically ignoring this red-shirted pustule.
Like all members of the military they take an oath to faithfully obey the orders of the “Commander and Thief… er… Chief.”
This of course, is a Cheney/Bush modern conservative Republican wet dream. I believe the oath is to protect and defend the constitution....America's constitution. I don't mean the amended one that Bush scribbled on the back of any bills as a signing statement.
It is time, and past time, for the JCS to go INTO the White House, ARREST Bush and Cheney for Treason, and declare new elections.
Uh, the JCS has no such authority? See coup, military.
Impeachment is the only lawful option here, and it's off the table because arresting criminals only has 'stunt value' and 'serious' people won't even consider it.
So Mike Mullen does not 'Support Cheney's World View'?!
That's really jumping on the majority bandwagon.
The only folks who do support Cheney's world view are his demented wife, his demented president, the demented neocons at AEI, the demented neocon zionists at AIPAC, the demented Israeli government, and dementia 'Bloody Bill' Kristol and his demented cohorts.
The problem is that right now, in the US of A:
Dementia Reigns!
He makes sense because you got a sailor in there now. Give me an Admiral anyday.
Bob in N. Thailand @ 59:
I agree.
Homeland sounds so Nazi Germany (Fatherland) or Soviet Russia (Motherland).
The department should be renamed what it was during WWII -- "Civil Defense."
An while they're at it, the Defense Department (Pentagon) should be renamed to plain old Department of the "Armed Forces."
All I can say is that it's about f*****g TIME someone in the military decided to challenge these scumbags. Commander-In-Chief be damned...I may be mistaken, but don't even the lowest-ranking grunts in the military have the right to refuse the orders of a superior officer in special circumstances if and when said superior officer shows clear signs of having snapped his/her cap?
Anyone taking bets on how long it takes Bush and Co. to start insisting that Mullen be replaced? I can't imagine that it will be too long, judging by their historical reactions to people who've simply dared to question them -- never mind disagree with them...
Navy officers seem more willing than Army to tell their superiors that they're full of shit. Good for them. So far Admirals Fallon and Mullen are showing the most balls in that area.
But one factual error: the explosives that are being used for roadside IED's aren't coming from Iran! They're coming from that huge cache of unguarded high-explosives that the U.S. left completely unguarded after the invasion, and which was raided by the locals shortly thereafter.
i don't care what limbaugh does or says - i never watch or listen to anything he is associated with - he doesn't exist
Capnmikes@87 -
Ummm... I was being snarky with regard to the "threat" posed by Venezuela and Cuba. They pose absolutely no threat to anyone except the wealthy Latin American oligarchs who have been screwing the poor in the region for generations. Neither Chavez nor Castro has done anything to merit the teeth-gnashing and war mongering of the neo-fascist imperial adventurers in Washington. Fortunately, their dreams are vanishing in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. May they collectively burn in hell for their criminal actions. Hasta la victoria siempre in Latin America!
He's said so many things contrary to the bs of the Bushies, why is he still around. They don't suffer the truth very well.
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