The "insiders" in the blogging community hail the nomination of General Amos to be the next Commandant of the Marine Corps.
I have serious reservations. This from the
Washington Examiner...
Amos is seen as willing to support Gates and other senior Pentagon
leaders as they spend the next several months looking for cost savings.
In choosing him, Gates and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus passed over Gen.
James Mattis, an expert in counterinsurgency warfare who would have
probably posed a stiffer challenge to proposed budget changes.
Amos is the service’s assistant commandant. He would replace Marine
Gen. James Conway, whose four-year term as Marine commandant ends this
fall. Gates proposed replacing Amos as No. 2 with Lt. Gen. Joseph
Dunford.
So they've chosen a "yes" man to be the next Commandant. Instead of picking a proven and dedicated warrior, Gates and Mabus chose a person that would
NOT "pose a stiffer challenge to proposed budget changes."
Gates' has shown himself to be the ultimate Washington insider. His decision is easy to understand.
Mabus arrived to the Sec of the Navy position with great fanfare. But he is also showing himself to be well schooled in the ways of Washington. His betrayal of Marine Corps tradition and the best interests of one of his departments is also easy to believe.
The person that I have the biggest gripe with is Amos himself.
General Amos is certainly aware of the lack of press coverage and the reason why he was picked over a more qualified 4 star.
He's certainly read the above press account. He knows Marine Corps tradition.
But like a drowning man hanging on to a life preserver, he will still reach for the chair instead of understanding how he has already been compromised in the eyes of the Marine Corps.
Gates and Mabus have labeled him a push over. A shill. A flunky. A yes man.
He should refuse the appointment. You know that silly little word that's constantly pounded into the heads of young men the moment they hit the yellow foot prints....
INTEGRITY.
But back to the blogging/news community and this appointment.
Why haven't the news media pushed the Defense Spokesperson on why they want someone who will roll over on future budget battles--are the proposed cuts so questionable that anything but a unified front will endanger them? Why are military bloggers not asking some of these simple questions? Why is this just accepted as an awesome move?
This whole thing stinks. Roman politics in the Department of Defense. Kiss ass media--Confused/not paying attention bloggers--group think at its worst.
If the Marine Corps loses missions and roles, we can all point to this moment when we let it slip away without a word.
