Since 9/11, the Bush Pentagon has often been criticized for exhibiting unbridled arrogance. Their successes on the battlefield - at least in terms of defeating an enemy force in Afghanistan and Iraq - combined with their intimidation of some journalists, however, allowed senior Pentagon officials to brush off the criticism with Reagan-like ease.
That is changing. And it should.
President Bush has - months too late - taken control of Iraq policy out of the hands of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz. It has been placed in the hands of NSC Advisor Condaleeza Rice. Ultimately, the buck must stop with the President, but so far President Bush has shwon neither the inclination nor the ability to seize the reins.
There was a development this week, moreover, that should send shivers down the spines of all Americans who care about this country, its values, and its ability to carry out the war on terrorism without it turning into a "US against the world" nightmare. And it demands a quick and clear response by the President.
The New York Times on Friday (10/17/03) carried a Reuters report that a senior Pentagon official, Lt. Gen. William Boykin of the Army, who serves as deputy under secretary of defense for intelligence and war-fighting support, has given numerous speeches to religious gatherings in which he made statements that seem to violate our core American values of religious tolerance and democracy, in which power comes from the people:
* He described a Muslim as worshiping "an idol" and described America as a "Christian nation." The U.S. is a country where most of its citizens are Christian. And our values and legal system are based, in large part, on Judeo-Christian traditions and values. But our Constitution prohibits the establishment of a state religion and one of our core values - dating back to the Pilgrims - is religious tolerance. Gen. Boykin's statements are an insult not only to the millions of Muslims in America and abroad, but they should raise the ire of all Americans who truly care about our country and what it stands for. Government officials - especially senior ones at the Pentagon - shoud never make any statement publicly that even remotely sounds like it endorses one religion or condemns another. Gen. Boykin's statements, left to stand without the President's forceful condemnation, sound like the U.S. government is anti-Islam and establishing a state religion.
* Gen. Boykin, discussing the 2000 election and how President Bush is in the White House even though "the majority of Americans did not vote for him," asserted that "he's in the White House because God put him there..." Excuse me? I thought we left divine right of rule behind in the 17th and 18th centuries when countries like England and France threw off the shackles of absolute monarchies and moved toward democracy. Gen. Boykin, power in this country derives from the people, not a deity. The 2000 election and its results demonstrated the flaws of the electoral college process and some of our voting procedures, not divine intervention. To suggest otherwise as a government official is to undermine the very concept of democracy at a time when this administration is allegedly trying to export that very concept to Iraq and the Middle East.
The response of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was to praise Gen. Boykin's "outstanding record" and to defend Boykin's freedom of speech, noting that Saddam Hussein would "go around killing people if they said things he didn't like." Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "At first blush, it doesn't look like any rules were broken."
Gen. Myers, please read the Constitution. But the real question here is whether or not the Bush Administration will reaffirm its commitment to democracy and religious tolerance - here and abroad - while making sure that the war on terrorism does not become the U.S. vs. Islam.
President Bush must take clear steps this week to right the ship of state:
* Gen. Boykin should be relieved from his duties immediately.
* President Bush should condemn his statements for what they are and state his own commitment to democracy and religious tolerance, reminding the country of his deep respect for Islam.
* The President also should give a public slap on the wrists to Rumsfeld and Myers. They should be reminded that, while loyalty to your colleagues and subordinates is admirable, the first responsibility is to the nation and the values for which the men and women in uniform - some of whom, by the way, are Muslim - risk their lives.
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