Admiral Mullen reports for duty

[unhappycamper]

Admiral Mullen reports for duty
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist | October 2, 2007

WE HAVE a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The question is: What will happen if he says something that the commander-in-chief does not want to hear?

Navy Admiral Mike Mullen yesterday replaced Marine General Peter Pace because Pace became too much a symbol of the Iraq quagmire. In June, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he originally wanted to renominate Pace for another two years. But Gates determined that the nation would not have been served by a "divisive ordeal" of renomination hearings.

"The focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future, and further, that there was the very real prospect the process would be quite contentious," Gates conceded.

Almost by default, Mullen was viewed in Washington as fresh air, unafraid to blow back at the hot air that got us into Iraq in the first place. So far, he does not appear to be a senseless cheerleader. In his July Senate confirmation hearing, he was pressed by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham to "assess our likelihood of winning, given what you know now."

~snip~

Two weeks ago, Cheney boasted in a speech, "We serve a cause that is right, a cause that gives hope to the oppressed in every corner of the earth. The only way for us to lose is to quit. But that's not an option. We will complete the mission and we will prevail."

But Mullen warned in his hearings that the US military, while the strongest in the world, "is not unbreakable." He said that unless security is restored to Iraq, "no amount of troops and no amount of time will make much of a difference."


Rest of article at: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/10/02/admiral_mullen_reports_for_duty/

[BOSSHOG]

1. I welcome the change

I do not believe Mullen will put up with any nonsense from bush or cheney. He ain't a cheerleader or a yes man like Pace apparently was. And besides, our country always turns to Sailors when they need real leadership. I think Pace's term is somewhat of a downer for the Corps.