Defense Secretary Robert Gates has called CENTCOM commander Adm. William
Fallon "one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today." Fallon
opposed
the "surge" in Iraq and has consistently battled the Bush administration
to
avoid a confrontation with Iran, calling officials' war-mongering "not
helpful." Privately, he has vowed that an attack on Iran "will not happen
on
my watch."
Unfortunately, this level-headed thinking and willingness to stand up to
President Bush may cost him his job. According to a new article by Thomas
P.M. Barnett in the April issue of Esquire magazine (on newsstands March
12), Fallon may be prematurely "relieved of his command" as soon as this
summer:
Well-placed observers now say that it will come as no surprise if
Fallon
is relieved of his command before his time is up next spring, maybe as
early
as this summer, in favor of a commander the White House considers to be
more
pliable. If that were to happen, it may well mean that the president and
vice-president intend to take military action against Iran before the end
of
this year and don't want a commander standing in their way.
Just another day in BushWorld. There's a sneaky (and admittedly tin-foil
hatted) suspicion on my part that there is a calculus going on here to
make
sure that we're either in or on the threshold of aggression with
Iran-something that Fallon has dug his heels in and fought vehemently
against-as we near the November election, to help give the edge to John
McCain.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/05/fallon-bush-fire/
Q: What's the difference between the White House and the Boy Scouts?
A: The Boy Scouts have adult leader****p, The White House doesn't seem to
be
prepared for anything.
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