Posted on 03/05/2003 3:41:51 PM PST by Wolfstar
All of the Pentagon's top brass met with the President this morning, including JCS Vice Chairman Peter Pace (USMC), who is not seen in these pix.
Before meeting with the President, all smiles:
Yahoo caption: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shares a laugh with Attorney General John Ashcroft as U.S. military leaders gather outside the West Executive entrance of the White House before a private meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office, March 5, 2003. Ashcroft was departing as Rumsfeld and the others were arriving. From L-R are: Chairman JCS Gen. Richard B. Myers (USAF), U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks, Ashcroft (back to camera), Rumsfeld, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. (Larry Downing/Reuters)
After meeting with the President, grim faces:
Yahoo caption: JCS Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers (USAF), above right, and Gen. Tommy Franks (USA), foreground, commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf, leave the White House after a meeting with President Bush and his national security team Wednesday morning, March 5, 2003. In a strategy Pentagon officials are calling "shock and awe," U.S. forces plan to drop 10 times the bombs in the opening days of the air campaign in Iraq than they did in the first Persian Gulf war, officials said Wednesday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
But they are men with wives and children and friends that will go in harm's way. They know that their's is a terrible responsibility and such a look of sober thought is exactly what I would expect and demand.
We're going to roll over them with such speed and force that they won't know what hit them.
That tinpot North Korean dictator better pay close attention.
No, today was decision-making time. See the Drudge Report site. Also, the President has asked for TV time next week.
Go with God, Mr. President and our wonderful folks in the military. You have this American's wholehearted support, love, pride and tears.
The joy will come when we see the Iraqis dancing in the streets and tearing down Sadmans pictures and statues!!!!!
Where is that from, is this true?
Photo #2 shows 2 men with faces that look absolutely normal for the situation - i.e. neither of them are talking to anyone or looking anyone in the face at the moment the photo was taken.
Photo #1 shows 2 men at either end of the photo with normal faces. They obviously can't hear the conversation of the other 3 men. The 2 men towards the middle who are facing the camera and laughing have just heard Ashcroft say something funny. Perhaps he is telling them all the "French Jokes" he read off of FreeRepublic earlier in the day.
Fair enough.
To my eye, the grim looks on the faces of Meyers and Franks says they are getting ready to order fine young Americans into harm's way very soon.
I'd have let this pass, except for the memory of these very kinds of faces after a meeting with "the Boss." My eye, informed by those memories, sees this — some guys who got put in their places hard, and sat through some really nasty questions, with some nastier followup when they didn't have satisfactory answers.
Now, if I'm correct (no claim that I am, you understand), we're left to speculate on what and why they just got reamed (supposing those are "I've been reamed" looks on their faces). My speculation is that all those vaunted contingency plans have turned out to be day dreams, that when something like the Turkish parliament throws a curve, our military planners have come up with nada, zip, zilch, nichts, nisiquira una cositita.
I work near-n-around some of "today's brass" and frankly, I couldn't disagree with you more. From where I stand/sit/engage on a daily basis, what I see are leaders of incredible dignity, honor, decency, intellect, courage, strength, and more. Leaders who are passionate, engaging, with a profound sense of duty and commitment to those in their charge, in particular, and to the defense of our country.
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