[Cicero]

The reason Rumsfeld gave Afghanistan to Tommy Franks, bypassing the normal chain of command, and now apparently plans to give him Iraq, is that he doesn't trust half the top brass in the Pentagon. And rightly so, because most of them were put there by clinton. And clinton NEVER promoted anyone who didn't support him personally and see eye-to-eye with him ideologically. In fact, clinton usually appointed to key posts only people who had committed felonies and could be blackmailed, which he judged to be the best way to ensure that they would do exactly what he wanted, up to and including treason.

In an ideal world, it would be better to hoe out the Pentagon and fire five or six hundred generals and colonels, including all the sexual harrassment trainers. But in this imperfect world you just ease out a few of the worst and sidetrack the rest of them.

By definition, any of the brass who are leaking to Novak should be fired anyway.

[Tucson]

Exactly and absolutely. This is obvious, if it were not otherwise, from the overwhelming acquiecense by the top brass to Clintons' emasculation of the military. Any senior officer worthy of the position and knowledgeable of warfighting efficiencies know the battle field, whether the trenches, the cockpit, or combatant, is the domain of males; with very few exceptions. Knowing this and then rolling over for the females in combat, kindler gentler training, underfunding and inventory reductions is dereliction of duty. They should have resigned. Having failed to do so makes them incapable of advising on any issue which puts American military men in harms way.