ANNOYING PUNDITS
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James Joyner | Monday, March 31, 2003 |
US News reports the Administration is briefing former President Clinton and is getting annoyed at TVs talking generals:
The crowd of mouthy retired generals questioning the Pentagon’s tactics in the Iraq war is really starting to irk the White House and the Pentagon. “They’re out of control,” says a top Bush insider. “At best, their information is 10 years old,” says another official. The problem: Ex-officers hired as network analysts for $10,000 or more don’t have the full war picture, though many are getting the inside skinny from their Pentagon pals. Also: Some are crossing the loose-lips-sink-ships line. “It’s their desire to still be relevant,” sneers another Bushie. It even prompted Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to ask many to tone it down. Yet two remain “general pains,” says the Bush aide: Barry McCaffrey, who predicts 3,000 coalition deaths, and Wesley Clark, who’s eyeing a 2004 presidential bid. Meanwhile, associates of former President Clinton say the White House provides him war updates both to compare notes and give “guidance.” (Ditto for former defense secretaries and national security advisers.) One result: Clinton turned an analytical war speech last week into a three-minute call for support for Bush.
Interesting.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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