They're not worth it. Let them relish in their delusions of grandeur.
Posted on 06/03/2004 8:49:13 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Speaking at the Truman Library, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry detailed his plan to make America stronger by modernizing the world’s most powerful military to meet today’s threats. Kerry also announced a Senior Military Advisory Group of prominent retired admirals and general officers who are advising his campaign on defense and national security issues. “I am honored to have such a distinguished group of experienced military leaders and professionals working with me on the vital security challenges facing our nation,” said Kerry. (The full list is below.)
Kerry has said his national security policy will be guided by four imperatives: building and leading new alliances; modernizing the military; deploying all that is in America’s arsenal – the power of our economy, our diplomacy, our intelligence capabilities and our values and ideas; and freeing America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil.
“Today, in the post 9-11 world, we stand at another historic crossroad, at another moment when the old enemy is gone but we face a new threat,” Kerry said today. “We must change if we are to meet and defeat the danger. We must rebuild our military and prepare it for the risks and tasks of a new era.”
Citing a military that is overextended and troops that are overburdened, Kerry presented his plan to transform the world’s most powerful military to better address the modern threats of terrorism and proliferation, while ensuring that we have enough properly trained and equipped troops to meet our enduring strategic and regional missions. Kerry will: (1) expand our active duty forces, (2) double America’s Special Forces capability and increase other specialized personnel, (3) complete the process of technological transformation, and (4) redirect the National Guard for homeland security.
Despite all its talk of transforming our military, the Bush administration has done far too little to adapt our forces to the new missions they have to undertake. In Iraq, our National Guard and Reserves have been called up at historic levels. On the battlefield, many of our troops lack the latest equipment and technology, which can mean the difference between life and death. Just yesterday, the Administration issued “stop loss” orders, meaning additional burdens on thousands of soldiers because our military is stretched too thin.
“This has happened on the backs of the men and women who’ve already fulfilled their obligation to the armed forces and to our country – and it runs counter to the traditions of an all-volunteer military. Because they’re serving one tour after another, our soldiers are not getting the training they need or the rest they deserve,” Kerry said. “Military families are under incredible strain as it becomes harder and harder to balance the demands of family life and military duty. This is especially true at a time when more than half of our military is married – a dramatic increase since Vietnam. When you add it up, we are in danger of creating another hollow Army – a grave concern that I’ve heard time and again over the last few months from active duty personnel.”
To address the issues of readiness and an overextended military, Kerry called for:
40,000 Additional Active Duty Soldiers. The additional soldiers are not to increase troop levels in Iraq, but to relieve the current overstretch and to prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts. Eighty percent of the Army’s active duty combat divisions are either currently in Iraq, preparing to go, or have recently returned. Stressing that this situation has jeopardized our security, Kerry said additional troops will help alleviate the strain on our overburdened military.
A Doubling of Our Special Forces Capability. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Special Forces have proven that they are essential to winning the war on terror. Kerry’s increase in their capability will improve our ability to conduct counter-terrorism operations, perform reconnaissance missions and gather intelligence.
Modern Equipment and Technology for Our Troops. Kerry pledged to ensure our military has the most modern equipment and technology, saying we cannot have a 21st century military unless we are using 21st century technology. Kerry will arm every soldier with state-of-the-art equipment, whether it is body armor, weapons or the latest communications tools. He will accelerate the development of non-lethal technologies that can incapacitate the enemy without risking the lives of innocent bystanders, and create new counter-proliferation units that specialize in finding and destroying the most dangerous weapons before they can be used against us. He will also ensure that our troops have the training and the professional military education necessary to employ these technologies.
Transforming the National Guard. Kerry outlined his plan to make America safer by making better use of the National Guard for homeland security. Many Guard members are now serving abroad, away from their posts as first responders. Kerry will assign Guard units to a standing joint task force that will prepare and execute homeland security strategies with state and federal governments.
“Just as it was in the time of Harry Truman, and in all the years of the Cold War, the job of commander in chief is now central to the presidency,” Kerry said. “As President, I will use military force to protect our interests anywhere in the world, whenever necessary. But strong leadership demands more than the willingness to use force. It means directing the use of the right tools at the right time for the right purpose and the right cause. Only then will we be strong and respected around the world.”
Kerry, honoring our veterans and the men and women serving today, said “As President, I will always remember that America’s security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airman and Marine – with every man and every woman in our armed services standing a post somewhere in the world. Today, we salute each and every one of them for their commitment, strength, and extraordinary courage – especially those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They, like all veterans of wars past, deserve our prayers and then, when they come home, the respect and support of a grateful nation. After all, the first definition of patriotism is to keep faith with those who have worn the uniform of the United States.”
Below is the list of retired senior military flag officers who are advising John Kerry: Admiral William Crowe (USN, Ret.)
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General John Shalikashvili (USA, Ret.)
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Tony McPeak (USAF, Ret.)
Former US Air Force Chief of Staff
Admiral Stansfield Turner, (USN, Ret.)
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
General Joseph Hoar (USMC, Ret)
Former Commander-in-Chief, US Central Command
General Wesley Clark (USA, Ret.)
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General Johnnie Wilson, (USA, Ret.)
Former Commander, US Army Material Command
LTG Daniel Christman (USA, Ret.)
Former Superintendent US Military Academy
LTG General Kennedy (USA, Ret.)
Former Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Intelligence
Vice Admiral Lee Gunn (USN, Ret.)
Former Inspector General, US Navy
Major General Harry Jenkins (USMC, Ret.)
Former Chief Legislative Liaison US Marine Corps
They're not worth it. Let them relish in their delusions of grandeur.
"Neo-con" generally refers to those who believe that America should have a robust foreign and military policy, and are generally not greatly exercised about domestic issues. On FR, when used as a slam, it's usually intended to refer to those who don't favor letting the Arabs exterminate the Jews.
How would you define the term, especially with regards to domestic policy? I read an article by (I believe) Irving Kristol last week which was a bit unsettling. He claimed that neo-cons accept the growth of government as inevitable.
First: there is no canonical "neo-con" position on domestic policy.
Second: I think Kristol is a horse's a$$.
My own take on domestic policy: government is not a good or bad thing in and of itself. The questions revolve around (a) what are they attempting to do, (b) whether said thing SHOULD be done, and (c) whether government action is the best way to go about accomplishing things that should be done.
I think that taxes should be low, and so should domestic spending. I think we should be eliminating most government regulation of private enterprise, and what legimitate regulation there is should be accomplished via the lowest impact means available.
As an example: Factory A takes water from River B. The present regulatory environment mandates, in excruciating detail, exactly what systems Factory A will use to mitigate their impact on River B, how those systems will be operated, and how those operations will be documented.
My solution: the regulation would read "if you are taking water from a river for your production operations, then your inlet shall be downstream of your discharge."
At that point, Factory A has two choices:
Similar examples can be found for most regulatory problems.
Adherence to the "reasonably prudent man" standard in legal cases (which was defined in a COMSEVENTHFLT admiralty court my father sat on in the 1950s as "A reasonably prudent man checks for toilet paper BEFORE sitting down") would eliminate 90% of the regulatory requirements and stupid stuff (such as the steam hair curler marked "Do not use internally").
But that's me. Other "neo-cons" may have very different ideas.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Absolutely, Merrill was the idiot who dictated among other things that all AF members within ACC would wear V-neck tee shirts to show their chest hair and look like "Manly men". Even other generals laughed about him and told jokes about him. He was a fighter jock who pulled too many G's and starved his brain (if he ever had one).
I imagine that the women looked...uh...womanly, showing off their cleavage?
We went through that phase in the USMC in the mid-1980s.
Try wearing a Charlie uniform (quarter-sleeve shirt, open collar), the overcoat, and a V-neck tee shirt.
You looked like a flasher!
Any Kerry supporter at this stage(June) should be documented and cross indexed. Because any that don't know Kerry is a virtual traitor by now is either a traitor themselves or political whores(enablers of treason and sedition).. and are suspect in ALL they do, forever. And if they convert and become neocons they are merely moles..
I hope lurch is dumb enough to let clark go out to speak for me. When I look at clark here's what I see:
He strikes me as looking like some guy named Barney who was a custodian at a ballroom where the rats would be have a primary debate. "Hey Barn, would you stand on the stage? That's it Barn just stand on the X.Now speak into the mic while we do a sound and lighting check, will ya?"
"Sure thing Mr.C but what should I say?"
"It makes no difference Barn, but hey please put down you mop - ok?"
"Hey that was good Barn. You got a suit and tie? Good come dressed up for the debate tonight. You're in the field now Barn."
Clark still looks like a custodian at the local Y to me.
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