The Army Chief of Staff on civilian gun control

General Raymond Odierno is the chief of staff of the United States Army.  As such he is the institutional head of the army.  He is not the political head of the army.  That vestigial role is fulfilled by the civilian Secretary of the Army who is normally a politician of some sort.  It is long understood in the United States that active duty army officers, and especially the chief of staff will scrupulously eschew any intervention in political matters.

Odierno appeared today on "Morning Joe" the New York City chat show that reflects the mentality of that most prominent of American "fantasy islands."  He had clearly been dispatched there to rail against the sequester, much as Susan Rice was sent to her doom on the morning Sunday newsies.  His appearance against the sequester was unfortunate.  The resolution for sequestration is a political matter.  The chief of staff should not be appearing on national TV (well, MSNBC) seeking to influence a civilian political decision, but he did so.  This is a sadly degenerate time in US national life, and any sense of what is appropriate seems to have been lost. 

To make matters worse, Zbig's daughter, Mika, pressed Odierno for his views on gun control legislation for the general civilian public.  She wanted to know if he favored registration, banning of "assault weapons,"  etc

The appropriate response for him would have been to say that he had no role in such civilian political matters and would not comment.   Instead, he seemed to become confused between 1 - gun control for private ownership within the army and 2 - civilian gun control generally.  As a result he ended by seeming to endorse Mika's obsessions.

This man sits in George Marshall's chair?  pl

 

Comments

[Matthew]

Col: General Odierno "sits in George Marshall's chair" the same way George W. Bush sat in George Washington's chair.

[david]

the general gave his personal, not political, feelings about gun registration and assault weapons ban. he did say it was his personal feeling about the issue. he did follow, as did mika, with their support of the right to bear arms.

[turcopolier]

david

He has no business stating his "personal" opinion in public on any political matter. pl

[Bill H]

Word

[Tom S.]

Odierno seemed to be a "ready, shoot, aim" kind of leader in Iraq.

[John Minnerath]

I remember my Dad telling me many times during his long military career that an officer could not and would not ever express his ideas or beliefs about political policies or decisions in public.

[Fred]

I wonder when Mika will invite you or I on to give our ‘personal’ views on gun control? Except we’re not chief of staff of the army. I wonder when the Army Chief of Staff will be giving his ‘personal’ opinion on who should be elected to the House and Senate during the mid-term elections? How about the Air Force, The CNO next up after him? That’s not coercive now is it. Odierno isn’t sharp enough to say that he can’t comment on the matter? I'll be giving a call to my Senator (Levin) and asking his staff why the Army Chief of Staff is commenting on matters pertaining to our god given rights and ask when did the army gain authority to tell civilians what our rights should be.

[turcopolier]

John Minnerath

Odierno is dumber than a post. IMO he is doing the only thing he knows how to do. That is to suck up to Obama. pl

[Nightsticker]

Colonel Lang,

I was looking at the ribbons he was wearing;
it sort of explains why he does not know much
about guns ... at least not much about them
being fired in anger up close. I know it isn't
fair but I am always skeptical of people who
get their initial combat experience as a General.

Nightsticker
USMC 65-72
FBI 72-96

[Peter C]

But, Pat, look at all the pretty ribbons on his chest. I'm waiting for the day when shashes become in vogue again, so the extra pretty ribbons that don't fit on the left chest can be placed on the sash.

[steve g]

The insider nickname for him is
apparently "The OX". Appears he
has lived up to it.

[turcopolier]

Peter C and Nightsticker

Yes. I hate to talk about his damned ribbons but IMO it is fair to point out that Dempsy and G. Marshall both wore/wear just a couple of rows. pl

[Jose]

Or Obama sits in Lincoln's chair to our shame.

[VietnamVet]

Colonel,

Yes, it is politics; but it is the very weird propaganda of shadow puppets appearing in the media saying platitudes written to maintain the status quo; but, just like the 1930’s, economic problems are giving birth to radical politics here and abroad.

The Defense Department was going to be the sacrificial lamb to get Congress to agree to the Grand Bargain.

Crony Capitalists; Wall Street, AMA, Insurance & Pharmaceutical Industries, control the two political parties. Thanks to the 2008 crash the government is awash with debt and with true unemployment is near 20%; for the first time, payroll taxes are not in surplus. The Elite have decided to cut government spending on entitlements, anyway they can, because their bonuses would have to be taxed to make up the difference and paying full entitlements to workers would cut down on their government gravy train. From Athens, through Rome and London to Washington DC; Austerity is being forced on their citizens by the governments controlled by the Bankers. In every case this has made the economy worse.

The Generals are simply doing what they are paid to do; to be front men, not to win wars.
In the meantime radicals are wining GOP primaries. They do not give a damn about the Generals or DOD. Their goal is to cut out all the leeches working for the Federal Government; “Drown it in the bathtub”.

The paradox is that the only protection the hoi polloi have is government. Deregulation and privatization have assured that we have no defense from the predation of the rich and powerful.

[SAC Brat]

General Martin E. Dempsey, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army speaking at the 2011 Army Cadet Command George C. Marshall Awards & Leadership Seminar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48LLsgsOgvo

About 1:10 in. "One fairly senior civilian said 'You ought to get a wristband that says What Would George Marshall Do?'"

I like Dempsey's compass.

[PeterHug]

...and I go out of my way to make sure that my conversations with my friends who are officers (or for that matter those who work for the State Department) never come anywhere close to a point where they would be expected to express that sort of opinion, even in private.

I know they have opinions, and sometimes strongly held ones (and I pretty well know what they are) - but it is absolutely unfair to put someone in that sort of a position, whether in public or in private.

[JMGavin]

Neither General Dempsey nor General Odierno have any ribbons worth writing home over, nor any ground combat experience.

So this is the leadership we deserve...

DOL,

JMG

[turcopolier]

Peterhug

That is no excuse for this man. he is supposed to be an adult who can say.... NO! i am not going to express an opinion. pl

[John Minnerath]

And after 30 years of service he asked to be retired when political policy began to conflict with his personal feelings about where things in VN were heading. He believed strongly in the code of conduct expected of him.

[The Twisted Genius]

Someone should put this poster on Odierno's wall... and probably a lot of other general officers' walls:

http://www.politicsforum.org/images/humour/stfu.jpg

[confusedponderer]

The full nickname is "The Desert Ox", iirc coined by Jeff Huber.

[turcopolier]

CP

Amusing. Let's see, who could play him in the movie? pl

[Tyler]

Odierno was famous in Iraq for using artillery on neighborhoods during the night if a patrol had been attacked there during the day.

[steve g]

CP
Thanks. I used to read his blog
but I see he hasn't posted for
over a year. Always entertaining.

[steve g]

Why not Tommy Lee Jones? After
he played Thaddeus Stevens in
Lincoln he is now in the soon
to be released "Emperor" as
Gen. MacArthur. Shave that
skull, gain a few lbs. and there
you have it.