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November 26, 2008
Etzioni is wrong on Mullen
Retire Admiral Mullen by Amitai Etzioni
In a recent post Amitai Etzioni calls for Obama to replace Admiral Mullen and he gives several reasons for his thinking. And he is wrong on most all of them.
It seems Etzioni is chastising Admiral Mullen for speaking against the president’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq and rather says that withdrawal should be governed by conditions on the ground. The problem is Etzioni is a might confused as to who the president is. He may be salivating over the day Obama becomes president but right now the president is George Bush and the policy Mullen has stated is THE president’s policy.
Etzioni also takes the cowards solution to problems often seen by many in academia. According to him the solution is to either go along or resign. That is a spine of Jell-O! He also erroneously states that a military officer’s obligation is to carry out the orders of the President. Wrong again, but this is a mistake often made by many. An officer takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, it is not to the President.
I am also completely amazed at Etzioni’s ignorance of the function of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Mullen is the president’s chief military advisor—he is not someone to merely carry out orders. Perhaps before writing again he should review the Goldwater-Nichols Act. I really don’t mind people taking issue with the military but I do wish they would take the time to do a little research and form an intelligent opinion.
I think Etzioni is a little too keen on a retreat and lacks a little understanding of the military. If he becomes an advisor to President-elect Obama this country may be in serious trouble.
Posted by robertgreen at November 26, 2008 11:10 PM
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