W and the Military

I had the opportunity last night to listen for a long time to a civilian friend who's had very close contact with the extreme top brass of the U.S. Army dating all the way back to the end of the Clinton administration. I asked him how the military now views W. after the mess in Iraq, and here's what he said.
Because, as a whole, the military despised Clinton so much, they would have welcomed almost anyone else. So the prospect of a Bush presidency was fine with them. But there was quick disappointment when both Cheney and Rumsfeld came on the scene. They were not trusted by the generals, and that dread only deepened when Rumsfeld announced his plans for a 'new military', which would have increased payments to high tech defense contractors but reduced the number of available troops.
Then 9/11 occurred, and for them, everything DID change. They all lined up solidly behind Bush because they both wanted and needed him to be a strong leader.
Of course there was individual disagreement about the wisdom and methods of the Iraq invasion, but the general reaction of the brass was, 'hey--not my decision--he's the Commander in Chief''. Guys like Gen. Shinseki, however, were not quiet enough about their reservations, and once the comments got back to the White House, he was doomed. No matter that he lost a foot to a land mine in Vietnam--while all those guys in the White House were avoiding service. No matter that he had envisioned a new method of warfare that was designed to attack the very nature of the insurgency that now defines Iraq. And no matter that he would ultimately be proved entirely right about his warnings of inadequate troop strength. Rumsfeld took the unprecedented step of announcing his replacement as Army Chief of Staff more than a year before Shinseki was supposed to retire.
Still, the rest of the generals didn't really get too riled up--after all, we were at 'war', and it was already clear to everyone what happened if you didn't pledge absolute allegience to Cheney and Rumsfeld.
But what initially broke the camel's back was Shinseki's retirement party. At his level, such a party ALWAYS commands the attendance of either the President or the Vice President, along with the Secretary of Defense and every other civilian of importance in the Pentagon. Free drinks, free nibbles, war stories, it's an easy call.
But instead, they all stiffed him. All of them. The 'party' was like 'a wake--it was embarrassing'. And when that word got out, the military finally started to turn on W and his gang. They had disrespected not just the man, but the uniform.
After that, the Iraqi mishaps began in earnest--dead soldiers, ruined families, botched missions, wasted billions, etc.--you would think that the everyday pall of war would cement a negative impression of Bush eventually. But my friend said that even all that was accepted stoically--after all, wars aren't pretty.
However, one more single incident sealed the deal against the Bush crowd. That was the shooting of Pat Tillman.
Although Tillman was not an officer, he was 'a born leader, but did everything he could to downplay his fame. He and his brother even secretly drove to Denver from Phoenix to enlist, so there was no danger of the media being around to report it'. In the field, he commanded almost unanimous respect--except for one guy in his unit who couldn't stand him. This guy, for whatever reason, gave Tillman a hard time constantly, and generally acted like an asshole every time he was in Tillman's presence. Why? Didn't matter. People just kept them apart.
The outline of the tragedy has now finally been reported. Patrol divided in a dangerous ravine in Afghanistan...communication is spotty...it's dark...some start to panic and open fire at a group of 'enemies' on a hill. But they're not enemies. Tillman is among them, he stands up, waves his arms, and starts yelling in his radio to stop. His call does get through to the driver of the vehicle from which the main machine gun rounds are coming. The driver screams to the gunner, 'Blue on Blue!!'--(stop firing--our guys!). Maybe it's too loud in there to hear. The guy keeps shooting. So the driver throws the vehicle into reverse to get his attention. The guy keeps shooting. The driver finally grabs his ankle and starts yanking, trying to pull him down. The guy keeps shooting.
And he blows Tillman to bits.
The shooter, of course, is that one guy who hates Tillman.
This, of course, is awful enough in its own right, but not by itself what finally pissed off the brass. It was (like Watergate) not the crime, but the coverup. The generals believe that the civilians in the Pentagon, by initially lying about the whole deal, tried to save their own reputations, and in the process cast doubt on the professionalism of ALL troops out there risking their lives. Our soldiers just shoot each other and try to lie about it?
Again, they trashed the uniform.
Finally, the one dynamic I did not fully appreciate. When George Sr. was working under Gerry Ford, he was one of three guys competitng for the role of 'favored son', i.e., maybe future V.P. nominee, then successor as President, etc. George the senior believes that Rumsfeld and Cheney joined forces and were trashing him behind his back while Bush was serving Ford as ambassador to China. And of course, they covered their tracks and lied about doing any such thing.
Sure enough, soon Ford names Cheney Chief of Staff, Rumsfeld goes to Defense the first time, but Bush is banished to the CIA at exactly the time that agency is facing intense Congressional scrutiny. The elder Bush is trashed in the press, and made to all-but-promise he has no further political ambitions in order to be confirmed. He's been had. He takes the job out of loyalty to Ford, but carries away an enduring hate for both Cheney and Rumsfeld.
So you can imagine what Sr. feels like when his kid allows both of his adversaries to essentially take control of the government--and in the process doom his son to failure on the world's largest stage. A failure so large, in fact, that this time even Daddy's friends can't bail him out.
You remember Sr.'s tearful meltdown at Jeb's soiree a couple months ago? It's not hard to imagine where that sorrow was really coming from. It's Shakespearean.
The military now refuses to admit that W even plays a role anymore. They're angry as hell, but mostly they pity him--he's clueless. They still despise Cheney--but they also still fear him. And even though Rumsfeld is 'retired', the situation hasn't changed.
The uniform is being disgraced by men (Cheney, Rumsfeld, even press flak Tony Snow) who all retire on weekends to their mansions close together on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I'm sure they bitch and smoke cigars and blame the evil left.
I hope they don't laugh anymore.
W. sits isolated in the White House, perhaps feeling the first small inklings of the degree to which history will scorn him.
And you can picture his old man crying himself to sleep at night, unable to extract any revenge on the people who did him; the people who did his son in; the same people who have so deeply scarred our country.
Only Shakespeare could truly appreciate this.

diderot