Praying for the Right Decision.Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.
Adm. William Fallon had been serving as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia since 2007.
Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
In a written statement, he said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" have become a distraction.
"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at the Pentagon that he accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."
But, he added, "I think it's the right decision."
"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are in fact significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates said.
In a written statement, President Bush praised Fallon for helping "ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the world.
"He deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Fallon, a 41-year veteran of the Navy, took over as chief of Central Command in early 2007. Gates said he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his deputy, who commanded an Army division in Iraq in the early days of the war and led efforts to train the Iraqi military.
The perception that Fallon has opposed a drive toward military action against Iran from within the Bush administration dates to his confirmation hearings in January 2007, when he told the Senate that the United States needed to exhaust all diplomatic options in its disputes with the Islamic republic.
But he also has said that the United States would be able to take steps if Tehran were to attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet of the Persian Gulf and a choke point for much of the world's oil.
And he recently told CNN that the United States is looking for a peaceful settlement to disputes "in every case."
"We're trying to encourage dialogue and find resolution," he said. "In fact, that's our message to the Iranians out here, given that everybody is nervous and anxious about their activities, is to come forth and explain what they are doing with all the people in the region."
On Tuesday, Gates said, "We have tried between us to put this misperception behind us over a period of months and, frankly, just have not been successful in doing so."
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Fallon's resignation showed that independent views "are not welcomed in this administration."
"It is also a sign that the administration is blind to the growing costs and consequences of the Iraq war, which has so damaged America's security interests in the Middle East and beyond," said Reid, D-Nevada. "Democrats will continue to examine these matters very closely in the coming weeks and months."
Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain offered words of praise for Fallon.
"Under Adm. Fallon's leadership at Central Command, the situation in Iraq has improved dramatically," McCain said in a statement. "All Americans should be grateful for Adm. Fallon's service and respect his decision to retire."
Gates' spokesman, Geoff Morrell, said Monday that the secretary and the admiral still had "a good working relationship" and that the Esquire article -- "The Man Between War and Peace" -- had not changed that.
He said Gates had read the article and had no comment on it.
Is this good or bad?
ReplyDelete"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility..."
ReplyDelete...I guess there were differences as to means.
From the EB Jan 23, 2007,
ReplyDeleteQuoting Robert Kaplan writing in the Atlantic:
Fallon could eventually be proven right on China. Whatever the case, it may not necessarily say anything meaningful about his stomach for a confrontation with Iran. Like a lot of people, he may put China in a completely different category from Iran. One thing is clear: he will be extremely cautious over the need for military action against Teheran. So the question becomes, can Gates and the man he has chosen to lead his war fighting command in the Greater Middle East frighten the Iranians sufficiently to make negotiations meaningful? For the history of naval pressure shows that it must communicate the willingness to fight if it is to have the desired impact on an adversary. I worry that we do not sufficiently grasp the fact that the Iranians may not be reading from the same set of instructions as us, on the real-life political-diplomatic board game we are about to embark on. What if the Iranians watch our beefed-up naval and air presence, combined with increasing economic pressure on them, and say, so what? That's where the partial and tenuous overlap between what the Baker-Hamilton report advised we should do, and what neoconservatives say we might do under better circumstances, evaporates. That's where it may come down to a confrontation between Vice President Dick Cheney and the Gates-Fallon team at the Pentagon, which is essentially the Baker-Hamilton team.
Here's all our Fallon Posts
More from Kaplan's Atlantic article:
ReplyDeleteThe nomination of a Navy four-star, Admiral William Fallon, as the next head of Central Command, is meant to tell the Iranians that we are serious. Indeed, an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be a complex air and sea operation—involving carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, various types of jet bombers, and so forth. As the current head of Pacific Command, Fallon has ample experience in structuring such combined exercises.
_______________________________
My guess is that Fallon played his part, to little effect. Now it's time for a new direction...
"The nomination of a Navy four-star, Admiral William Fallon, as the next head of Central Command, is meant to tell the Iranians that we are serious."
ReplyDeleteWhen Fallon was appointed, everybody, left and right, was sure it was because the admin had plans for Iran. I never did.
And I don't buy now that he's leaving because of an unwillingness in that direction not shared by the administration (save perhaps Cheney) though everyone, left and right, does.
Undoubtedly the administration's frustrated, but exhausted and hindered in too many ways for "a new direction."
Political fallout from the MAR 6 Tom Barnett article in Esquire. That I can believe.
"Here is Jonah facing the brutal debating skills of Jon Stewart. The basic flaw with his book becomes apparent here as well."
ReplyDeletePretty easy to make someone look bad when you take an 18 minute interview, ask questions, then cut off the responses. So obviously, in fact, that you actually have to apologize for the shoddy editing before airing it.
Anything to avoid actually having to challenge deeply invested assumptions.
"Speaking of: It Takes a Village is awful, cutler, but if you really want a politically, philosophically flesh-crawling read, pick up anything by Amitai Etzioni."
If I've got time, I'll take a look at it. So many good books, though, so little time.
Lately I've been digging more into stuff about the Old Right.
ReplyDeleteAmong other things, the book had a fantastic chapter on the philosophy of Corporatism that both parties suffer from.
ReplyDeleteMaye THIS would keep Rufus out of Doyle's for the election.
ReplyDeleteNothing is going to happen. The can has been kicked down the road.
ReplyDeleteIn Idaho, Mary Ann gets busted for Mary Jane.
'Gilligan's' Mary Ann Caught With Dope
DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) - Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.
She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.
Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts—driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance—were dropped.
On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.
The 69-year-old Wells, founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of the region's annual family movie festival called the Spud Fest, then failed a sobriety test.
Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.
Trish: Political fallout from the MAR 6 Tom Barnett article in Esquire. That I can believe.
ReplyDeleteSilly Admiral "Lone Voice" Fallon, he must have forgot that the military serves at the pleasure of the Republican Party. We need a team player like the DoD Inspector General, who is helping Halliburton/KBR sweep a gang rape and kidnapping of a US citizen under the rug.
Belaboring Kaplan:
ReplyDeleteSo the question becomes, can Gates and the man he has chosen to lead his war fighting command in the Greater Middle East frighten the Iranians sufficiently to make negotiations meaningful?
They were playing chess and Fallon was the big bad knight who could be prepared just in case...
This Geraldine Ferraro thing is hilarious, when its not pathetic.
ReplyDelete"'Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up,' Ferraro said. 'Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?'..."
"Welcome to the Party, pal."
---
To turn a quote, "We should help the sexists when the racists are winning and the racists when the sexists are winning. So that they may kill off as many as possible of the other."
he,he, divide and rule, good idea.
ReplyDeleteHere are six developments that may have Iran as a common thread. And, if it comes to war, they may be seen as clues as to what was planned. None of them is conclusive, and each has a credible non-Iran related explanation:
ReplyDelete1. Fallon's resignation: With the Army fully engaged in Iraq, much of the contingency planning for possible military action has fallen to the Navy, which has looked at the use of carrier-based warplanes and sea-launched missiles as the weapons to destroy Iran's air defenses and nuclear infrastructure. Centcom commands the U.S. naval forces in and near the Persian Gulf. In the aftermath of the problems with the Iraq war, there has been much discussion within the military that senior military officers should have resigned at the time when they disagreed with the White House.
2. Vice President Cheney's peace trip: Cheney, who is seen as a leading hawk on Iran, is going on what is described as a Mideast trip to try to give a boost to stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. But he has also scheduled two other stops: One, Oman, is a key military ally and logistics hub for military operations in the Persian Gulf. It also faces Iran across the narrow, vital Strait of Hormuz, the vulnerable oil transit chokepoint into and out of the Persian Gulf that Iran has threatened to blockade in the event of war. Cheney is also going to Saudi Arabia, whose support would be sought before any military action given its ability to increase oil supplies if Iran's oil is cut off. Back in March 2002, Cheney made a high-profile Mideast trip to Saudi Arabia and other nations that officials said at the time was about diplomacy toward Iraq and not war, which began a year later.
3. Israeli airstrike on Syria: Israel's airstrike deep in Syria last October was reported to have targeted a nuclear-related facility, but details have remained sketchy and some experts have been skeptical that Syria had a covert nuclear program. An alternative scenario floating in Israel and Lebanon is that the real purpose of the strike was to force Syria to switch on the targeting electronics for newly received Russian anti-aircraft defenses. The location of the strike is seen as on a likely flight path to Iran (also crossing the friendly Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq), and knowing the electronic signatures of the defensive systems is necessary to reduce the risks for warplanes heading to targets in Iran.
4. Warships off Lebanon: Two U.S. warships took up positions off Lebanon earlier this month, replacing the USS Cole. The deployment was said to signal U.S. concern over the political stalemate in Lebanon and the influence of Syria in that country. But the United States also would want its warships in the eastern Mediterranean in the event of military action against Iran to keep Iranian ally Syria in check and to help provide air cover to Israel against Iranian missile reprisals. One of the newly deployed ships, the USS Ross, is an Aegis guided missile destroyer, a top system for defense against air attacks.
5. Israeli comments: Israeli President Shimon Peres said earlier this month that Israel will not consider unilateral action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. In the past, though, Israeli officials have quite consistently said they were prepared to act alone -- if that becomes necessary -- to ensure that Iran does not cross a nuclear weapons threshold. Was Peres speaking for himself, or has President Bush given the Israelis an assurance that they won't have to act alone?
6.Israel's war with Hezbollah: While this seems a bit old, Israel's July 2006 war in Lebanon against Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces was seen at the time as a step that Israel would want to take if it anticipated a clash with Iran. The radical Shiite group is seen not only as a threat on it own but also as a possible Iranian surrogate force in the event of war with Iran. So it was important for Israel to push Hezbollah forces back from their positions on Lebanon's border with Israel and to do enough damage to Hezbollah's Iranian-supplied arsenals to reduce its capabilities. Since then, Hezbollah has been able to rearm, though a United Nations force polices a border area buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Defense Secretary Gates said that Fallon, 63, asked for permission to retire. Gates said that the decision, effective March 31, was entirely Fallon's and that Gates believed it was "the right thing to do." In Esquire, an article on Fallon portrayed him as opposed to President Bush's Iran policy and said he was a lone voice against taking military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program. In his statement, Fallon said he agreed with the president's "policy objectives" but was silent on whether he opposed aspects of the president's plans. "Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region," Fallon, said in the statement issued by Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Fla. "And although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," he said. Gates announced that Fallon's top deputy, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take over temporarily when Fallon leaves. A permanent successor, requiring nomination by the president and confirmation by the Senate, might not be designated in the near term.
--Terry Atlas Newsweek
Lots of interesting and informative stuff at Middle East Strategy at Harvard currently on their sites. Including maps of the West Bank, reports about Iran, and the current use of the term 'Amalek' in Jewish discussions.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interview with Lt Gen Martin Dempsey.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the man to oversee the transition to ISF.
“It’s Wolf Blitzer. Call me if you ever want a hot Spitzer-Blitzer three-way.”
ReplyDeleteLetterman's Top Ten: On Luv Guv
Here's tonight's top ten.:
"Messages Left on Eliot Spitzer’s Answering Machine"
10. “Hey, what’s new?”
9. “It’s Barack Obama. Remember our conversation about being my running mate? Never mind.”
8. “Ralph Nader here. Glad to hear I’m not the only politician who has to pay for it.”
7. “Hi, I’m calling from the ‘New York Post.’ Would you rather be known as ‘Disgraced Governor Perv’ or ‘Humiliated Whore Fiend’?”
6. “This is John McCain. If it makes you feel better, I once got caught having sex with Lincoln’s wife.”
5. “It’s Dr. Phil. Call me if you need any horse**** advice.”
4. “This is Sen. Larry Craig. Do you ever go through the Minneapolis airport?”
3. “It’s Wolf Blitzer. Call me if you ever want a hot Spitzer-Blitzer three-way.”
2. “Paris Hilton here. I would have done it for free.”
1. “It’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thanks, I’m no longer America’s creepiest governor.”
He was described as a lone voice, calling on the administration to tamp down the drumbeat of war and engage Iran, which the administration has accused of being bent on becoming a nuclear-armed nation and has pegged as partly responsible for the violence in Iraq.
ReplyDelete...
Last fall, he told the Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera that Washington's sometimes hawkish tone on Iran "is not helpful and not useful." Other news reports have suggested that he supported a more fluid drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq to pre-"surge" force levels and sending more troops to Afghanistan.
...
Several Democratic lawmakers, however, raised concerns that Fallon may have been pushed out of the position.
Mideast Resignation
"Get out of the office," Letterman added later to applause. "Who is running the state, for the love of God."
ReplyDeleteLetterman dedicated most of his opening monologue to mocking Spitzer's hooker woes, saying, "It's so sunny and bright outside that earlier today, Eliot Spitzer came out of a brothel squinting."
Letterman riffed that "Client 9 will soon be looking for wife number 2" and that the governor "was supporting New York's No. 1 industry."
The emergency request to the U.S. Court of Appeals comes after a federal judge late Friday night ordered Toni Locy to begin paying fines of up to $5,000 per day out of her own pocket so long as she refuses to identify her sources.
ReplyDeleteOne of the lawyers representing Locy, now a West Virginia University journalism professor, called the fines "unprecedented." Les Machado said the defense will ask the appeals court to postpone the payments pending appeal of the contempt order by U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton.
Walton ordered Locy to pay the fine, not her former employer or others. "Her mother can't even help," said Machado.
Delaying Fines
nice posting keep blogging,....
ReplyDeletei am very new in blogging, please and kindly visit my site,..
thanks a lot...♥♥♥♥