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President Obama’s
nomination of Ashton Carter for Secretary of Defense replacing Chuck Hagel is
not good news for those of us who yearn for world peace and an end of war.
In light of 13 years of continuous war with no end in sight,
the advent of a warmongering Republican controlled Congress, a Defense
Secretary nominee described as “hawkish,” Carter’s confirmation is guaranteed.
Carter is “in many ways the flip
side of Chuck Hagel.” He is different
from former secretaries and will be a strong advocate of using military
force.
Carter, born in 1954, came-of-age after the Vietnam War and
outside of the Department of Defense has never served in the military.
In comparison, Chuck Hagel, a twice-wounded Vietnam War
veteran, is the first secretary to have spent all of his military service as an
enlisted soldier. Because of his Vietnam experience, he vowed to “do what [he]
could to stop wars.”
But that’s something Carter has no intention of pursuing.
Especially if he’s to be confirmed and if confirmed, he wants to keep his job as
Secretary of Defense.
Ashton Carter, a Democrat, will be in good company with
Republican hawks such as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Carter has
said that In Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and the world today, I think we need to
recognize that the United States is necessary, but we must use sufficient force
to “affect the policy objective we’re seeking.” This is exactly the sentiment
of McCain, Graham, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He will be a Pentagon chief with expertise
in budgeting and procurement, which is great for the war industries but not
for the rest of us.
Copyright © 2014 Horatio Green
