Military officials worried about McCain’s ‘knee-jerk response factor’
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(Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:58:03 -0500) --- March 6, 2008
March 6th, 2008
Military officials worried about McCain’s ‘knee-jerk response factor’
Last night, Bob Dole told Larry King that he recognizes John McCain’s
temperament problem, but he “always sort of rationalized that because
the poor guy had been locked up” as a prisoner of war during Vietnam.
McCain’s temper, Dole said, is “not a problem anymore.”
It didn’t sound like a ringing endorsement.
There have been questions about McCain’s temperament percolating just
below the surface for a while now, thanks in large part to aggressive,
almost violent, confrontations McCain has had with his Senate
colleagues in recent years.
(“The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my
spine,” Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said about McCain. “He is erratic.
He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”)
But the question is now taking on a slightly different salience, in
light of Hillary Clinton’s recent “3 a.m.” ad.
What happens if a President McCain and his dubious temperament is
confronted with a crisis?
Salon’s Mark Benjamin found that some senior military officials aren’t
entirely comfortable with what McCain would do with that
middle-of-the-night call.
In interviews with Salon this week, several experienced military
officers said McCain draws mixed reviews among military leaders, and
they expressed serious doubts about whether McCain has the right
temperament to be the next president and commander in chief.
Some expressed more confidence in Obama, citing his temperament as an
asset.
It is not difficult in Washington to find high-level military
officials who have had close encounters with John McCain’s temper, and
who find it worrisome.
Politicians sometimes scream for effect, but the concern is that
McCain has, at times, come across as out of control.
It is difficult to find current or former officers willing to describe
those encounters in detail on the record.
That’s because, by and large, those officers admire McCain.
But that doesn’t mean they want his finger on the proverbial button,
and they are supporting Clinton or Obama instead.
“I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I am a little worried by his
knee-jerk response factor,” said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who was
in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 and is now
campaigning for Clinton.
“I think it is a little scary. I think this guy’s first reactions are
not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on
impulse.”
Eaton is hardly alone on this.
“I studied leadership for a long time during 32 years in the
military,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, a one-time
Republican who is supporting Obama.
“It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who
has the vision? Who can inspire people?” Gration asked.
“I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow
him.”
“One of the things the senior military would like to see when they go
visit the president is a kind of consistency, a kind of reliability,”
explained retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Republican, former
chief of staff of the Air Force and former fighter pilot who flew 285
combat missions.
McPeak said his perception is that Obama is “not that up when he is up
and not that down when he is down. He is kind of a steady Eddie. This
is a very important feature,” McPeak said.
On the other hand, he said, “McCain has got a reputation for being a
little volatile.” […]
Retired Rear Adm. John Hutson, who has been a Republican his entire
adult life, but who now supports Obama, put it this way about facing a
national security crisis:
“When everybody else goes nuts, the president of the United States
needs to get cooler and cooler.”
It’s hard to know exactly how widespread these concerns really are.
Last week, the far-right Washington Times had a report indicating that
“members of Washington’s military and defense establishment are
expressing trepidation about Sen. Barack Obama,” but ended up quoting
just one person — retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney — who is
an unhinged conservative activist with a record of wacky political
opinions.
For the Salon piece, Benjamin seemed to do a lot more legwork, which
makes his piece seem far more credible.
Regardless, I continue to think McCain’s “temperament questions” is
one of those side issues that could become a relevant factor in the
campaign.
Indeed, campaigns sometimes take on little buzzwords — “character” in
1992, “authenticity” in 2000 — and I’ll be curious to see if
“temperament” takes on that kind of significance this year.
_____________________________________________________
Scary, eh?
Harry
Harry Hope (rivrvu@ix.netcom.com).
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