It's time to replace Sec of Defense Gates with General Wes Clark

[me b zola]

Rachel Maddow just did a report on Jim DeMint and his efforts to go to Nicaragua to lend support to the de facto government and encourage them to "resist" the US government. Our official government is not recognizing this new government which illegally ousted their democratically elected president, and the State Dept. blocked DeMint's travel plans when they became aware of his trip & intentions. Now DeMint is going via the DoD. SoD Gates has every ability to squash DeMints traitorous intentions, but has not done so.

This puts new light on the nut job columnist for newsmax that suggested that a possible military coup could be in the works in this country. Gates has to go and President Obama needs to fill the Pentagon with trusted, professional men & women.

[Dr Fate]

1. But will Our Blue Dog Masters approve? n/t

n/t

[me b zola]

3. They can go lie in the corner and lick themselves.

:)

[Dr Fate]

5. Wrong, they call all the shots, not us.

From now on, every question concerning what DEMS will or will not do needs to be followed with "But will Our Blue Dog Masters approve?"

[BlooInBloo]

2. Clark is a good guy, but I prefer civilians being in control, as much as possible....

I'm just a really, really big believer in civilian control of the military.

[me b zola]

6. I tend to agree with your sentiment, but...

Whomever the choice is they must be knowledgeable, have strong leadership qualities, and be loyal to the US & this President.

Did you see the story on Rachel's show tonight? I'll get a link as soon as one's available. You may be willing to have General Clark in charge if you've seen the story.

[BlooInBloo]

10. There are lots of knowledgeable civilians with strong leadership qualities....

EDIT: But if we just *have* to have a military person running the military, you could do worse than Clark, no doubt.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. Wes Clark is a civilian

If we forbade any ex military from holding cabinet positions, especially the Defense Secretary's job, we'd be eliminating a lot of fine people. Wes Clark was a highly prestigious White House Fellow in the past. He's been exposed to how the civilian government operates.

I do appreciate your comment though, that if any military person were to be chosen for the job, it should be Wesley Clark. Clark has steadily given great support to Democratic candidates in a number of races, even after being kind of cast aside, showing his steadfast loyalty.

[BlooInBloo]

14. Idiotic quibbling over semantics aside, I very clearly said "civilians running the MILITARY"...

In case you aren't aware, there are a large number of cabinet posts that DO NOT run the military. I didn't say a single word disapproving of a military person running one of them.


EDIT: Sheesh. If you want to disagree, fine. But disagreeing with something I clearly didn't say is just stupid.

"If we forbade any ex military from holding cabinet positions"

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. Good God you're thin-skinned

I said "especially the Department Of Defense". There are many Democrats, especially on the far left, who do not want Clark anywhere near the government.

I was trying to applaud the edit in your post, suggesting that Clark might be a good idea if we had to have a military man. Apparently, you can't take the fact of someone essentially agreeing with you, even though it contains a small about of disagreement, without calling people quibbling idiots and stupid. Great show. This place is getting more thin-skinned and petty by the day.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

27. There are some limits at to the recycling of retired military back into Government

I have not looked at the rules in years, but it would be worth a look. I thought it was 10 years, which means he is not quite eligible.

I am not all that impressed by Clark, better than some, worse than others. He would clearly be polarizing to the military.

[me b zola]

31. I realize that my OP is not well written

But the point of the thread was not to insert Clark into the Pentagon. The point of the thread is to say that the leadership at the Pentagon is not listening to nor acknowledging this administration's policies. I see a grave danger in that. It makes it seem like JFK had a cake-walk through the Cuban missile crisis.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

35. I disagree, if the Defense was not doing what the President wanted, then SecDef

would be gone.

[glowing]

4. Do you think Gates had any decision in this.. The pukes found someone in the DOD,

not hard to do, that is sympathetic.. and authorized this.. Someone else will escalate to yet another agency.. until Pres. Obama has to come out and say, "children, please act your age.. time out"

[me b zola]

9. But he could squash it.

That's my point. He's not going to fight for Pres. Obama. That is a scary thought for me.

[harkadog]

22. If Gates could squash it then so could Obama.

He is Gate's boss afterall.

[me b zola]

23. Obama would do it through Gates

This is the point of my OP and the real problem.

[glowing]

30. It was rather late in breaking about the weasel around.. so, let's see.

No wonder nothing gets done when the stupid shit like this takes place all the time. Honestly, its time to get rid a lot of people in D.C. the staffers who never leave.. the journalists who are as out of touch and nuts as many of the pols.

[me b zola]

32. I know, I need to be "talked down"

But DeMint is scheduled to leave tomorrow (Friday). It just strikes me that there is a deeper story than DeMint. I know that the Pentagon leaks memos all of the time against an administration in order to shape policy, but that in addition to the freaky story in newsmax topped off by the Pentagon giving permission to a congress member who has stated their intention to travel to a foreign nation to undermine this administration's policies disturbs me greatly.

I think that there is a larger story here.

[glowing]

34. There's the govt and then there's the govt. DeMint is an idiot.. but who

knows what the real cover is for and who is on his fact finding detail.. AND seriously, someone arrest him for treason... What would happen if a regular citizen was making these types of statements against the govt.. most of the time you know they are powerless to make a diff... but a Senator has some clout still.. he shouldn't be going.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. What a great idea

Wes Clark is an intellectual and a deep thinker. This man shouldn't be sitting on the sidelines, as he could be contributing a great deal to an Obama administration.

[iceman66]

8. DeMint sure seems to want to go to Nicaragua

Maybe he has a date.

[me b zola]

11. Ahh, a "hiking" date

Thanks for making me smile. :)

[Cleita]

12. It's still the State Dept.s job.

Hillary Clinton needs to do something.

[me b zola]

16. Something needs to happen.

I'm thinking they could just revoke his passport. The DoHS could put him on the no fly list.

Whatever it takes, the Obama Administration needs to be strong on this. And I am worried about the implications for who really has control of the Pentagon.

[scheming daemons]

15. Gates has been a very pleasant surprise... I want him to stay.

sorry....

[me b zola]

18. Is Gates in charge of the Pentagon or not?

With recent events, I'm concerned. I took in stride McChristal's "leaked" memo because it's not uncommon for the military to do some undermining of an administration's policies, but it does indicate rogue operators. But this trip is over the top. Will Gates squash this trip by DeMint?

[travelingtypist]

19. Has Clark been retired long enough now?

I thought the only barrier was ten years or something post-retirement.

[Omnibus]

20. You're right, it's 10 years, according to Wikipedia.

He retired in 2000, so he's not quite there yet.

[me b zola]

24. The point of the post wasn't whether or not it's Clark...

...its that the Pentagon may not be under Obama's control. This is a problem.

[travelingtypist]

25. Then suggest a viable candidate.

Not someone who can't take the job b/c he hasn't been out long enough.

I agree it's a problem.

:shrug:

[JaneQPublic]

26. If there wasn't a military coup during Clinton, then Obama has no fear.

Think about it, Clinton royally pissed off the military right off the bat with his plan to let gays serve openly. Then he continued the "Peace Dividend" cuts that were started under Poppy Bush (the cuts weren't a problem until there was a Dem president overseeing the cuts). And don't forget the big scandal during Clinton's 1992 election about the letter he wrote when he was a young man to get out of the draft.

So if the military didn't rise up in a coup for Clinton, they're certainly not going to for Obama.

After all, it appears that it's only the career military brass who would have preferred another Bush term to Obama; the enlisted service members voted for Obama over McCain, as I recall. And the crusty old generals can't hold a coup unless the troops are willing to do the fighting for them.

[Stables2010]

21. Ill Amen to that

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. How did State block him?

[me b zola]

29. Apparently congress receives travel approval through the State Dept.

[LiberalAndProud]

33. Gates is doing a stellar job.

It would appear that the fear monger at Newsmax has done Its work, because some of us have fallen victim to the rags It is pedaling. The unnamed It is insane. It is a terrorist in the purest sense of the word. It seeks to feed hate in some and seed terror in others.

I should think the DoD will need to keep rather a close eye on DeMint. It doesn't seem like it's the safest place for an American politician to be in these days. I suspect that he will embarrass himself and the United States if he does go. That is what he is good at.