I’ve frequently said that I think Don Rumsfeld is the best SecDef since James Forrestal, the first SecDef.* (*I had the honor of giving the Forrestal Lecture to 4,000 Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1992.) Rumsfeld’s RMA (Revolution in Military Affairs) amounts to the most profound change in Warmaking Doctrine since the Civil War.
But …
The Saddam Hussein tabloid photos sent me over the top. Personally, I don’t mind seeing the genocidal old bugger in his skivvies. But it is an insult—once again—to our Islamic brothers. (And apparently the pics were taken by Yanks.) It’s as if we had a “Special Branch for Terrorist Recruitment.” No kidding. Ours is a big force … and the Law of Large Numbers tells us that Shit Happens. But, Mr Rummy, time to let some of that shit fall on the Upper Reaches of the Chain of Command. Repeated “lapses” by “a few soldiers” have … ALWAYS … IN THE MILITARY … been the basis for relieving Top Commanders. I want to see some 2-stars and 3-stars bite the dust. NOW!!