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| Plan seeks fix for war stuck in neutral |
| 2002-08-04 |
| The chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command proposed a series of aggressive new covert actions against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in a closed-door meeting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday, part of a new Pentagon initiative to reenergize the 10-month-old counteroffensive against terrorism. Air Force Gen. Charles R. Holland, head of the Special Operations Command, sought Rumsfeldâs approval for several types of missions that have not yet been employed in the U.S. effort, according to a defense official. Most notably, the official said, Holland proposed a dramatic expansion of the Navyâs sea interdiction efforts as well as a plan under which Special Operations troops would accompany foreign forces on combat missions. But most of the missions that Holland outlined were âaggressive, unilateral and behind the scenes,â the official said. Don't keep them too far behind the scenes. The country's much too involved with the piddly everyday things and it's losing interest in the war. Holland emphasized to Rumsfeld that he is ready to start executing the missions but first needs to ensure that he has the political backing and the legal approval to do so. Holland is concerned that, among other things, members of Congress might not support ground combat missions. No decisions were made during the meeting about whether to proceed. That's a symptom of the focus on piddly stuff. Congress has gone from singing "God Bless America" to being concerned with making political points. And there's always the Barbara Lee-Cynthia McKinney contingent that's actually rooting for the other side. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |