How Fallon's storied Navy career was curtailed (Great Quotes from a Marine Corps General)

[maxrandb]

http://hamptonroads.com/node/461804

Adm. William J. “Fox” Fallon made his career on a quick mind, immersion in details and a network of personal connections built like a beat cop and kept like a priest.

His four-star appointments placed him in parts of the world where friendship to the United States is in short supply and dwindling. Last year, he became commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East. True to form, he met the people, he listened and learned.

He spoke bluntly about the challenges. It may have cost him his job.

A lengthy Esquire magazine profile last month painted Fallon, 63, as the lone figure holding back a United States attack on Iran. The story pitted Fallon against the White House.

Within days, Fallon declared that the piece caused “a distraction at a critical time” and retired a year early from his post at Central Command.

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Below I've highlighted a couple of great quotes from Marine General (Ret) Jack Sheehan.

This is what we've been saying for the past 6 years.

Jack Sheehan, a retired Marine Corps general and NATO commander, was offered the position of war czar by the White House a year ago. Sheehan said he seriously considered taking the position to give Fallon an ally in Washington.

He ultimately turned it down. “I called him up one day and said 'Fox, this is not going to work. As long as we have these crazy neocons there, we’ll never get anywhere.’”

Fallon focused on the larger questions about the war’s impact on relations in the Middle East. He averaged five days a week away from the Tampa, Fla., headquarters of Central Command.

“We’ve got to rebuild relationships,” Fallon said. “You can’t solve Iraq without working around the region.”

Sheehan credits Fallon for making strides.

“He did a tremendous amount of work visiting the Gulf states,” Sheehan said. “One of the big things that’s a real criticism of this administration – they don’t talk to anybody.”

Leave it to the Marines to put it bluntly, and on point!

[sarge43]

1. Our next president should make Fallon Sec of State

He sounds like another George Marshall - realistic, rational, diplomatic, far sighted.

[ThomWV]

Why?

What does a military man bring to diplomacy?

[sarge43]

4. At that level of command, it's all diplomacy

Ask the ghosts of Marshall and Eisenhower about that.

[ThomWV]

5. With that level of experience its all military.

Wrong mindset.

[sarge43]

6. If that article is factual, then the civilian neocons were

the brain dead, lock step 'military' mindset, not the admiral and the general who were trying to bring some rational thinking to the process.

But YMMV

[izzie]

2. I my self do not want the Gen. to have power over the WH but

I still do not like what is going on right now. If you are not in lock step with the 'war lovers' your out. This, I think is the fault of a Congress that did not do its duty at the start of this mess. It is an over view of a govt. brake down that is just to costly for us.

[maxrandb]

3. Doesn't this say it all?

“I called him up one day and said 'Fox, this is not going to work. As long as we have these crazy neocons there, we’ll never get anywhere.’”

[indepat]

7. Bingo, you've hit the nail on it head: it's all the fault of the Congress by voting for junior's

ludicrous whims in near lockstep and therefore not fulfilling their oaths of office and constitutional duties and prerogatives to stop madness in its tracks. :D