Mollifying critics with a call

The Washington Times ^ | December 24, 2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[neverdem]

The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com

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Mollifying critics with a call

By Victor Davis Hanson
Published December 24, 2005

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When Abraham Lincoln waged a controversial war, he stocked his Cabinet with former critics and potential rivals like Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton and William Seward. Perhaps he sought a diversity of opinion or wished to appeal to a wider public constituency. But just as likely, the sly president thought stroking egos was in the long run smarter than riling them.

    Franklin Roosevelt did the same during World War II, bringing aboard Republicans like Frank Knox, John McCloy and Henry Stimson.

    And wily Bill Clinton not only brought in conservative commentator David Gergen, but deflected criticism over the various bombing campaigns conducted without Senate approval -- in Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and Africa -- by having the Republican William Cohen run the Defense Department. Apparently, like Lincoln and Roosevelt, Mr. Clinton figured many in Washington would not try to score points against a policy they were knee-deep in.

    Most Americans would not want a Defense Secretary Nancy Pelosi or National Security Adviser Howard Dean, but there are various lesser ways of disarming critics without endangering the security of the United States.

    Take three of George Bush's loudest detractors.

    The war veteran John Murtha and former blanket supporter of the Pentagon now criticizes every aspect of current policy in Iraq. He writes, he lectures, he gives endless interviews -- always damning the current war as a failure.

    Indeed, Mr. Murtha has become the Energizer Bunny of the antiwar crowd. What charged him so?

    Consider this sentence from a recent Newsweek profile of...

[Jeff Chandler]

I can't believe I writing this, but I think that this time Victor Davis Hanson is wrong.

[USNBandit]

There is one problem the author doesn't bring up in this article. His three subjects, Murtha, Clark, and Clarke are complete morons.

Regardless of Murtha's suggestions to the President, his public call for immediate withdrawal is flawed and doesn't recognize the immediate need to support the Iraqi people.

Richard Clark wrote an op-ed in the summer before 9/11 identifying cyber-warfare as the most immediate security concern for the U.S. Very perceptive.

Wesley Clarke is an ass, who only got his flag from having his nose firmly embedded in Clinton's rectum. It is telling that Clarke is hated by all his contemporaries.

Coddling these three would have been a mistake.

[Zeppo]

My thoughts exactly. Usually Hanson is on target, but he really missed the boat with this one. For example, I defy anybody to take a look at former FBI director Louis Freeh's statements about Richard Clarke, and then to advocate putting Clarke into any position of influence or power in any administration...

[Cicero]

Cohen is not a Republican in any meaningful sense of the word.

It might make sense to put a few honorable, conservative Democrats on the payroll, but unfortunately there are very few of them left.

Putting a bunch of left-wing whackos on the payroll would be a huge mistake. We already have one as Secretary of Transportation, which is why airport security is not permitted to focus on Muslims, because that would be profiling.

[Don Corleone]

When Abraham Lincoln waged a controversial war, he stocked his Cabinet with former critics and potential rivals like Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton and William Seward.

"Keep your friends close...and your enemies closer"...Me

[neverdem]

It might make sense to put a few honorable, conservative Democrats on the payroll, but unfortunately there are very few of them left.

How about Sam Nunn or VDH himself? Maybe the latter is trolling for a new job?

[neverdem]

Merry Christmas or Happy Holy Days, whatever you enjoy!

[neverdem]

Correction, me bad. Happy Hanukkah!

[Mind-numbed Robot]

It is my undertanding that another Clark, Ramsey Clark, had a similar experience. He was LBJ's Attorney General and as LBJ was leaving office he threw a dinner for some in his administration and others, a sort of large inside clique kind of thing. Clark was not invited and went into a deep sulk. He then made a sharp left turn and said a pox on all our houses. He gets even by being an enemy of the U.S.

[Tolik]

Thank you very much, FRiend!

Happy New Year to you and all you love!

Coming back from vacation and reading the articles I missed, I think this is a weaker VDH piece of all. There is a valid cynical calculation of keeping your enemies closer, but I think the recent history showed that American voters respond better to a straightforward clear message. Look at such examples as Gingrich revolution of 1994, or reaction to W himself when he is staying on message. To me the biggest problem of this administration is not a behind the scene politicking, but an absence of continues strong communication with a clear message.