I generally like David Brooks but I have to agree with Bruce Rolston that it is vitally important that the Commander in Chief, while head of the US military, is the user of society's sword, and never conceives of himself as part of the sword.
There is a grand tradition of civilian oversight and rule over the US military. The military (as I am learning from my current reading) does horribly badly when not led well, or at all, by its civilian leadership.
There is a 2nd book hiding in The Pentagon's New Map a highly disturbing picture that I was not aware would be in the book but provides a critical eye into the reasons why a free society's sword should not, can not wield itself.
Posted by TMLutas at February 12, 2004 08:21 AM