NEWSMAX / AP: …The president’s third Pentagon chief, Chuck Hagel, was picked partly because he was thought to be more deferential to Obama’s close circle of White House advisers. But over time, Hagel also grew frustrated with what he saw as the West Wing’s insularity.
There have been similar gripes from other Cabinet officials, but the friction between the White House and the Pentagon has been particularly pronounced during Obama’s six years in office. That dynamic already appears to be affecting the president’s ability to find a replacement for Hagel, who resigned Monday under pressure from Obama.
Within hours, former Pentagon official Michele Flournoy called Obama to take herself out of consideration, even though she was widely seen as his top choice and would have been the first woman to hold the post… (more)
EDITOR: Given the multiplicity of challenges throughout the world and their unprecedented complexity, should their handling any longer be outsourced to the Defense Department?
Was there good reason for Richard Nixon during the complexities of the Viet Nam War and establishing an opening to China relying on Henry Kissinger as National Securities Advisor rather than the capable Secretary of State, William Rogers?
Given today’s circumstances, would it be any different if Harry Truman was still President and George Marshall Secretary of Defense?
Finally, can the Secretary of Defense be objective when surrounded by the top military brass? Going to war is too important a decision to be overly influenced by he military.
