LEADERSHIP KNOW-HOW How well informed are our Presidents when in office? Recently I have heard people taking him to task for not "invading Iraq when we had the chance and finishing off Saddam Hussein for good."
Most of us realize that George Bush, as Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces, would justly bear the ultimate responsibility - or blame, if need be - for such a decision. The actual decision to do so may have been made by other people who advise him. George Bush had some of the same things to think about which must have caused Harry Truman anguish long ago when he had to decide about dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. Not to do so would have meant the war would be prolonged and thousands of American lives and of Japanese would be killed or wounded - even millions - in an island-by-island invasion which was the alternative. Bush, in a similar manner, faced a like problem. Truman, I feel, was, perhaps, better informed than Bush. I think that George Bush - as were many of us at that time - was caught up, in a rather flagrant military use of public relations techniques. he PR flak being produced at the time by the military was deceptive.
You may recall that we were assured the land war had been won, that our "Puritan "missle - called an anti-missile missile - had overcome the Iraq "Scud". We were shown photographs of how our "smart" bombs could go it the front door of an targeted Iraqi building and explode inside when told to do so. We saw utter destruction of bridges, highways and rail facilities throughout the land. They were done. Finished. Kaput.
Much of that was press Flak, pure hogwash set forth by the "Tech" side of our military at that moment in our history, aided and abetted by an eager Media which bought the whole line of Sci-Fi handouts - complete with visual effects.
It is now obvious that, while Saddam's troops and actual mechanisms of war, were in turmoil much of his power was still there. The "Tech" threats were not enough to stop him, but that was not Bush's fault. If fault or blame must be meted out, reference must be made to our own gullible acceptance of the military version as handed to the media. It is another case wherein the military actually came to trust it's own hype.
We are, just now, becoming aware of a greater danger which might
have been working against us. Belatedly, we are being informed about certain groups charged with keeping our leaders informed. A weak man, who felt he had been unfairly overlooked promotion to head his department, turned traitor to his vows and for fifteen years has lived the despicable role of "Deep Throat". Such pettiness can destroy nations as well as presidents.
A.L.M. July 19, 2005 [c485wds]
