Obama's Military Bridge Builder

[babylonsister]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/12/obamas_military_bridge_builder.html

Obama's Military Bridge Builder
By E. J. Dionne


In naming retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki as veterans affairs secretary, President-elect Barack Obama made what may be the most politically and morally significant choice of his transition.

Politically, Obama has been moving aggressively to close a wide gap between Democrats and the military -- and particularly between the party and the officer corps -- that began growing in the Vietnam era.

Shinseki's appointment can be seen as one of several steps the incoming president has taken to win respect and trust within the armed forces. Obama's decision to keep Robert Gates as defense secretary and his choice of retired Marine Gen. James Jones as White House national security adviser are of a piece in sending a strong, sympathetic signal to the uniformed services.

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The Shinseki appointment gives Obama a way to marry the Democrats' twin critiques of the Bush past. The new president has sent a strong signal that he will listen more closely than his predecessor did to doubters and skeptics in the uniformed ranks. And by making an admired soldier responsible for helping veterans recover from their wounds and rebuild their lives, Obama aims to show that his party's commitment to the needs of those who served their country was more than just campaign chatter.

The 66-year-old Shinseki, who was awarded two Purple Hearts during his service in Vietnam, has the opportunity to heal the social and political wounds from two wars: the one in which he fought decades ago, and the more recent conflict whose burdens he anticipated so clearly.