Imagine if this had been the only revelation about wrongdoing during the Bush administration. In normal times (remember normal times?), this alone would have shaken the country enough to turn on the Bush war machine. Maybe the sheer accumulation of evidence of malfeasance at high levels during the 2000-2008 period has tended to dull our appetite for vengeance. Still, it's interesting that the New York Times is acknowledging the "military-industrial-media complex" with General McCaffrey as an example of the kind of military we don't want.
Most of us have been sharply critical of the media over the past eight years. But the military? No, we still suffer as a culture from a dangerous attitude that the military should not be criticized. Time's up on that self-delusion. Being willing critics of the conduct of the military is essential to our freedom.
General Barry McCaffrey has been tied closely not only to the Pentagon but to the defense industry and a corrupt media. He's an example of the kind of military which was normal in the Mussolini era -- or any fascist regime -- but not of the military we like to believe America has. McCaffrey's behaviors should never be acceptable in the US. The Pentagon's inspector general has McCaffrey on its black list. Congress should too, along with all other military and civilian leadership in the Pentagon who break faith with the Constitution and with the people they serve. Not to mention the decent people they serve with.
