ARTICLE: "Push for New Direction Leads to Sudden Dead End for a 40-Year Naval Career," by Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, 31 May 2008, p. A7.
Two lines:
Breaking his silence since his departure in an hourlong interview, Admiral Fallon said he had felt the pressure building for several months.
The dynamic was clear and obvious, according to the man himself.
Sciolino says that "if the admiral's comments had been kept behind closed doors, he might have survived," but "his dissent was simply too public.
That much is clear, but the reality was that Fallon chose--time and time and time again--not to keep his comments behind closed doors, speaking out publicly everywhere he went: Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Cairo's main English paper, and 1,300 words of quotes in Esquire.
As for the article:
The admiral claims not to have been misquoted, but to have been misunderstood.
That's about it in a nutshell.
| Permalink |
Comments (3)
It is always amazing to me that the simple distinction between existing policy and personal views on the correctness of that policy or need for change as a personal belief are constantly blurred. In reality in a democracy often only appointees, high ranking officers, and high ranking civil servants understand clearly the choices and issues. But the press living of off the record interviews does not seem to understand that only on the record interviews reflect official policy even without it being stated. While off the record interviews often reflect personal opinion. The result has been the Executive Branch establishing rules on who and when the Press is briefed. We need to get rid of this dance and the Press needs to reflect on whether it wants official policy from the spokesmen with all it spin or personal views which to some degree are worthless. Unfortunately, most of the press does not understand the difference between official policy and personal views nor does it try to clarify the distinction.
Posted by William R. Cumming. | June 3, 2008 5:02 PM
Resigning/getting fired may, ultimately, turn out to be an excellent way to add even greater credibility to Adm. Fallon's "good cop" resume.
With this enhanced credibility, he can be utilized, almost immediately, by future administrations -- this time as some kind of special envoy or ambassador.
Posted by Bill C. | June 3, 2008 6:12 PM
"In the interview, he declined to directly criticize current policies, although he urged the next administration to focus more on strategic planning. 'We need to have a well-thought-out game plan for engagement in the world that we adjust regularly and that has some system of checks and balances built into it,' he said."
Best quote from the article.
We need a new NSC-68 for the post-Cold War era.
Maybe Fallon could chair a commission to draft the plan.
Posted by Lexington Green | June 4, 2008 11:30 AM