Answering The Phone
Mar 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am by Susie
This is interesting, no matter who you support. Some members of the military don’t want it to be John McCain answering that 3 a.m. call:
In interviews with Salon this week, several experienced military officers said McCain draws mixed reviews among military leaders, and they expressed serious doubts about whether McCain has the right temperament to be the next president and commander in chief. Some expressed more confidence in Obama, citing his temperament as an asset.
It is not difficult in Washington to find high-level military officials who have had close encounters with John McCain’s temper, and who find it worrisome. Politicians sometimes scream for effect, but the concern is that McCain has, at times, come across as out of control. It is difficult to find current or former officers willing to describe those encounters in detail on the record. That’s because, by and large, those officers admire McCain. But that doesn’t mean they want his finger on the proverbial button, and they are supporting Clinton or Obama instead.
“I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I am a little worried by his knee-jerk response factor,” said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 and is now campaigning for Clinton. “I think it is a little scary. I think this guy’s first reactions are not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on impulse.”
“I studied leadership for a long time during 32 years in the military,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, a one-time Republican who is supporting Obama. “It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who has the vision? Who can inspire people?” Gration asked. “I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow him.”
“One of the things the senior military would like to see when they go visit the president is a kind of consistency, a kind of reliability,” explained retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Republican, former chief of staff of the Air Force and former fighter pilot who flew 285 combat missions. McPeak said his perception is that Obama is “not that up when he is up and not that down when he is down. He is kind of a steady Eddie. This is a very important feature,” McPeak said. On the other hand, he said, “McCain has got a reputation for being a little volatile.”
Stephen Wayne, a political science professor at Georgetown who is studying the personalities of the presidential candidates, agrees McCain’s temperament is of real concern. “The anger is there,” Wayne said. If McCain is the one to answer the phone at 3 a.m., he said, “you worry about an initial emotive, less rational response.”
McCain was a fighter pilot, not a strategist. It will be like electing Oliver North.
These are the kind of guys you keep caged up and entertained under adult supervision until the battle starts. You don’t put them in charge of the aircraft carrier.
That’s interesting because my read is that, among the Democratic candidates, the officer corps prefers Hillary Clinton. I get the feeling that owing to the fact that the military is really stretched, the prospect of “there will be more wars, my friends,” and the steady drumbeat about Iran gives the military an existential sense of dread. Some of the wingnuts are even rattling sabers with Hugo Chavez over the Ecuador/Colombia issue. Now comes word that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Fallon, may get canned because he sees real, substantial danger if the administration attacks Iran. Looking at the situation realistically, the military not only doesn’t want anything to do with attacking Iran (or another country), but longs for a crony-ectomy so they can get down to brass tacks. Looks like Defense Secretary Gates, who seems to be a reasonable person, just can’t get rid of the Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Feith slime sloshing around in the Pentagon. Maybe the prospect of having Clinton come in and clean house is more appealing to them than someone who promises to work across aisles and forge compromises.
They do prefer Clinton.
If General Wesley Clark would become the Vice-Presidential nominee for either Clinton or Obama, we would own the national defense issue. I know Gen. Clark has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, but I believe he would serve his Country if asked by Mr. Obama.
In Bush’s Rose Garden endorsement earlier this week, he said that in the face of danger, etc, “John McCain won’t flinch”.
“Won’t flinch” is a positive frame. “Out of control, volatile, angry temper” is a negative frame.
Which will rule our airwaves?