Sun - March 2, 2008More Politicization of the MilitaryI heard an advertisement on the radio today. It
was an ad for Obama and the speaker was Gen McPeak of Gulf War air force fame.
He identified himself as a military officer and then spoke out against Hillary
Clinton.
Now, I'm not one to complain about anyone speaking out against a Clinton, but to do so as a military officer is dangerous. The greatest thing about our military that few countries can claim is that it is apolitical. McPeak has taken a big step across the line. Yes, he's retired and there's no law against what he did, but it is unethical and bodes poorly for the future of our military. If he were a retired sergeant, sure, I wouldn't complain. If he were a former captain, no complaints after retirement. But a general with four stars and a former Air Force Chief of Staff is a job that is much closer to politicians. It's important for someone with such a position to avoid the appearance of having been selected for such a position on a quid pro quo basis, and it implies that the military aligns with one political party. Here's what wikipedia says about his political activities: In 1996, McPeak served as Oregon
state chairman for the Bob
Dole for President
campaign. During the presidential
election of 2000 McPeak
endorsed George W.
Bush and served as
co-chairman of Oregon Veterans for Bush.[1]
As the military and foreign policy of
the Bush administration coalesced, however, McPeak expressed strong objections,
especially with regard to the 2003 invasion of
Iraq. McPeak later openly
campaigned for Howard
Dean's nomination, and
when Dean withdrew, acted as an adviser for the
John
Kerry campaign. He was
also one of twenty-seven signatories to the statement of the
"Committee
of Diplomats & Commanders for
Change" calling the
Bush
Administration a failure at "preserving national security" and calling for Bush
not to be re-elected.
He now is working as a co-chair on
Barack
Obama's presidential
campaign.
So, he's campaigned for just about anyone, and
that's fine. It's his identification in a campaign advertisement as a military
officer that strikes me as inappropriate. I'm sure he's not the first to do so,
but it's still wrong.
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