Pace vs. Rummy
For those of you who have been living under a rock lately, there was an interesting little exchange between General Peter Pace (the Hero of this little story) and Donald Rumsfeld (the Comic Foil of the exchange). In a live press conference in which both Pace and Rummy were answering questions, Pace said that soldiers have a responsibility to stop abuse and torture when they see it happen, to which Rumsfeld replied that they didn't have the responsibility to stop it, but they did have the responsibility to report it.
Pace corrected our Right Honourable Secretary (as they would say in the British Parliament), reinforcing the message that yes, oh honorable soldier, you DO have a responsibility to attempt to stop it if possible. It's kind of--oh, what's the word--the law.
So what do we make of this exchange? Is there a schism in the ranks? Pace didn't get to where he is by standing up to Rummy, but now that he's where he is, he sure is making a name for himself with this one little exchange. But I don't think that it means Pace is going to break ranks and support Billary's 2008 presidential bid.
I have a lot of sympathy for Pace in the same way that I have a lot of sympathy for Powell. (Does anyone remember that name, or is it too much a blast from the past?) He's in a situation in which he has to play the political bullshit games, and he's being called upon to support the orders that come down from the top. He's about as good and honest a military leader as one can hope for (in my limited estimation), and he's doing his job to the best of his ability.
One thing he's NOT doing, however, is countermanding the law to which he is beholden. Military personell have a legal obligation to STOP if possible and REPORT absolutely any abuse or torture that they witness. When Rummy said that they didn't have the responsibility to stop abuse or torture, Pace corrected him, not because he wasn't toeing the party line, but because it was the truth about the law, and he wasn't going to go on record as having lied or misled anyone about it. He's no idiot.
Let's face it: our average soldier or marine is not exactly the sharpest cookie in the box. (and yes, that was intentional) They tend to be well trained in their MOS, and they rely on others who are well trained in their own to give them directions on how to do things that aren't directly related to what they do. When they hear an ex-culpa from the Secretary of Defense saying that they aren't accountable to take action that the LAW SAYS that they must, they are being misled. More importantly, they are being misled about taking an action that could land them in military prison with a dishonorable discharge. If Rumsfeld wants to confuse the average soldier or marine by publically making the claim that it's a big grey area, rather than stating unequivocably that they have a moral, legal, and ethical responsibility to move heaven and earth to stop violations of international law, he's doing his soldiers, OUR soldiers, a disservice.
Pace didn't let that happen.
Pace corrected our Right Honourable Secretary (as they would say in the British Parliament), reinforcing the message that yes, oh honorable soldier, you DO have a responsibility to attempt to stop it if possible. It's kind of--oh, what's the word--the law.
So what do we make of this exchange? Is there a schism in the ranks? Pace didn't get to where he is by standing up to Rummy, but now that he's where he is, he sure is making a name for himself with this one little exchange. But I don't think that it means Pace is going to break ranks and support Billary's 2008 presidential bid.
I have a lot of sympathy for Pace in the same way that I have a lot of sympathy for Powell. (Does anyone remember that name, or is it too much a blast from the past?) He's in a situation in which he has to play the political bullshit games, and he's being called upon to support the orders that come down from the top. He's about as good and honest a military leader as one can hope for (in my limited estimation), and he's doing his job to the best of his ability.
One thing he's NOT doing, however, is countermanding the law to which he is beholden. Military personell have a legal obligation to STOP if possible and REPORT absolutely any abuse or torture that they witness. When Rummy said that they didn't have the responsibility to stop abuse or torture, Pace corrected him, not because he wasn't toeing the party line, but because it was the truth about the law, and he wasn't going to go on record as having lied or misled anyone about it. He's no idiot.
Let's face it: our average soldier or marine is not exactly the sharpest cookie in the box. (and yes, that was intentional) They tend to be well trained in their MOS, and they rely on others who are well trained in their own to give them directions on how to do things that aren't directly related to what they do. When they hear an ex-culpa from the Secretary of Defense saying that they aren't accountable to take action that the LAW SAYS that they must, they are being misled. More importantly, they are being misled about taking an action that could land them in military prison with a dishonorable discharge. If Rumsfeld wants to confuse the average soldier or marine by publically making the claim that it's a big grey area, rather than stating unequivocably that they have a moral, legal, and ethical responsibility to move heaven and earth to stop violations of international law, he's doing his soldiers, OUR soldiers, a disservice.
Pace didn't let that happen.
posted by sadiq at 12/05/2005 11:09:00 AM
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