Daniel Gallington on Feith

[SteveMetz]

In Sunday's Washington Times, Daniel Gallington wrote, "In sum, Doug Feith's new book — "War and Decision" — is the best and most objective account to date of the high-level and inside policy dynamics that led to the war in Iraq."

I'll tell you, I blew coffee through my nose when I read that. While it has value, Feith's book is about as "objective" as bin Laden's latest press release. Now if Gallington said "balanced" I could buy it since Feith does blame everyone except OSD with nearly equal abandon.

[Tom Odom]

I was mowing yesterday after reading this particular article and I was stuck on the opening paragraph:

I first met Doug Feith in 1984; the year he would come to the Pentagon as a 27-year-old "DASD" (deputy assistant secretary of defense) and political appointee working for Richard Perle.

In 1984 as a 31 year old captain I was in Sudan in the Sudanese staff college and preparing to travel throughout Africa as a FAO trainee. I had one overseas tour under my belt, one Masters degree on the Middle East with Arabic language training, and a tour in the 82d Airplane Gang.

Ten years later I had the pleasure and the displeasure to work with a number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State or Defense while serving as the US Defense Attache in 2 crisis countries. I met Mssr Feith's counterparts--the political appointees. Some were good. Some were even great. But the bad ones were terrible in their ignorant arrogance. Consider that a DASD is essentially a "Super Colonel" "BG" equivalent as an SES.

Now think about that. Would you accept a 27 year old as an Assistant Division Commander? If his name was Alexander, maybe. But a 27 year old DASD who's only qualification was his political ties and his academics suddenly is making and executing policy inside the Pentagon. He got there because of his connections to Richard Perle--who was effective as a policy wonk against the USSR but has been in my opinion an unmitigated disaster since the wall fell.

So any way Feith comes in and he is accustomed to weilding power without ever feeling what it is like to be the subject of such power. His focus is himself and his political patron. When he comes back in the early 2000s, we again have the same. No wonder he blames everyone else. He has never paid any dues beyond patronage for what he has done or not done. We should not expect him to act any differently in writing his memoirs.

Tom

[Ken White]

better than one has a right to expect. One of the BIG flaws that could be easily corrected is to select appointees to DoD and the service Secretariats on experience and merit as opposed to political ideological compliance. There probably ought to be more senior civil service and fewer appointed positions as well.

That applies to other areas of government as well (look what the syndrome did in the CPA in Iraq... ) but IMO it is particularly critical at DoD due to the 'get somebody killed' factor...

[Granite_State]

He got there because of his connections to Richard Perle--who was effective as a policy wonk against the USSR

Mind elaborating on this? My only real knowledge of Perle's work then is as one of the originators of the latter-day "Vlasov's Army" idea in Afghanistan that is briefly detailed in Charlie Wilson's War, a farce that made Perle sound like a Beltway insider with minimal common sense or connection to reality.

[Tom Odom]

Pretty good run down on Perle here.

For Feith see here

And the rest of the story as in Wolfowitz can be seen here

George Packer's Assassin's Gate has a good run down on these ties.

You may draw your own conclusions.

Tom

[Abu Buckwheat]

Now think about that. Would you accept a 27 year old as an Assistant Division Commander? If his name was Alexander, maybe. But a 27 year old DASD who's only qualification was his political ties and his academics suddenly is making and executing policy inside the Pentagon.

Now I am the one blowing coffee out though my nose!

[SteveMetz]

Now I am the one blowing coffee out though my nose!

I think that should become an Olympic sport.