PrintJanuary 10, 2005
Fighting the SecDef instead of fighting the war
The campaign to oust Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld continues unabated at The Weekly Standard, with the latest salvo being fired by Frederick Kagan in his article Fighting the Wrong War. Mr. Kagan attempts to make a reasoned, thoughtful counter to Rummy's defenders, but instead discusses key issues in generalities rather than specifics, and fails to place events of the 90s and today within an accurate historical context.
Kagan charges Rummy's defenders with evasion, and an over—reliance on
'deflecting all criticism from him [Rumsfeld] onto the Clinton administration.'
In a sense, he is right that what has occurred in the past should not hinder us from correcting problems in the present. But there are real obstacles which must be overcome, and cannot be wished away. Kagan soft—pedals the near—disastrous effects of the failings of the civilian and military leadership installed by the Clinton administration's in the 1990s, and ignores the realities of...(Read Full Article)
