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Posted on 04/11/2003 7:57:00 AM PDT by samkatz
By Don Melvin Cox News Service (04-04-03)
CAMP AS SAYLIYA, Qatar -- He is tall, confident and unflappable, the television face of the U.S. military's Central Command and the front-line warrior in the critical battle to marshal public support for the war in Iraq.
In his daily briefings for reporters at the Central Command forward headquarters in Qatar, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks has shown himself to be a master of both vivid description and impenetrable obfuscation.
"The dagger is clearly pointed at the heart of the Baghdad regime," he said as U.S. led forces closed in on the Iraqi capital. It was a quote few news organizations could resist.
But he is also capable of answers that are wonderfully opaque. After days of telling reporters that the campaign was precisely on its time line, he was asked what the overall time line for military action was. He essentially denied that one existed.
"Probably a better way for us to describe it is that we're on our plan, and we have had a plan for certain actions to occur," he said. "They're related in time and space and purpose."
At least two newspapers have accused him of "uninformative stonewalling."
Brooks' emergence as a fixture on daily television is somewhat surprising. Twelve years ago, during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of the forces assembled to expel Iraq from Kuwait, basked in the spotlight, personally briefing journalists on the progress of the campaign.
Not so Gen. Tommy Franks, the commander of the U.S.-led forces this time around. While Franks has briefed reporters, journalistic sightings of the commander have been rare.
When one reporter asked if it would be possible for Franks to conduct the briefings more regularly, Brooks was unfazed.
"I'm sorry you feel disappointed. I probably need to get a pay raise here," he deadpanned, drawing laughter from the largely skeptical press corps. "General Franks has already shown that he's more than willing to come and talk to you at the right time. But he's fighting a war right now. And he has me to do this for him."
Brooks has reason for confidence. He comes from a family of exceptional accomplishment.
His father, Leo Brooks Sr., was also a brigadier general. His brother, Brig. Gen. Leo Brooks Jr., 45, is the commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Through a military spokesman, Brooks, 44, declined to be interviewed for this article. But published reports and an official military biography show that his accomplishments are significant in their own right.
He was born in Anchorage and spent at least part of his youth in California, attending Jesuit High School in Sacramento. There were at the time only four black students in the school, said his brother, but the pair never felt they experienced racial prejudice.
(Excerpt) Read more at daytondailynews.com ...
Now, let's add Brig General Vincent Brooks to that list. Brooks has been perfectly unflappable in the face of a daily barrage of moronic questions from the press. He's answered all questions with great finesse,and kept cool when confronted with personal insults(like the "why isn't General Franks here instead of you" question)and ridiculous "speaches" by the press.
Perhaps when Ari Fleisher leaves the administration to seek elected office, or make his well-deserved fortune as a media pundit, Major General Brooks can take over the position of Presidential Press Secretary.
Wouldnt that be something?
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Hell, no! How about, in a few more years & a few more stars, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He is unflappable.
Our troops have covered themselves with glory in this war. The liberal media has only covered itself with excrement.
Leni
It is nice to see black Americans achieving their heights without "infirmattive action" crap. Kudos to Pres. Bush for finding them and giving them chance. Gen. Brooks is impressive and we are proud of him!
What a difference to Bubba the "first black pres." who had token idiot blacks on his team (Sturgeon General :-)
Wake up blacks, dump Jessie Jerksons and Ali Sharpies and vote for party that wants to treat you as equals based on performance and contributions.
Freep & Roll!
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