Seymour Hersh: Military Is Waging War Against The White House

In addition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States military is also fighting a war against the Obama administration at the White House, Seymour Hersh said in a little-noted speech at Duke University on October 13. The military is "in a war against the White House -- and they feel they have Obama boxed in," he said.

Hersh, a Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist who exposed the My Lai massacre in Vietnam and the Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq, sees an undercurrent of racism in the Pentagon's dealings with the White House. "They think he's weak and the wrong color. Yes, there's racism in the Pentagon. We may not like to think that, but it's true and we all know it."

As Neil Offen writes in the Durham Herald Sun:

"A lot of people in the Pentagon would like to see him get into trouble," he said. By leaking information that the commanding officer in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says the war would be lost without an additional 40,000 American troops, top brass have put Obama in a no-win situation, Hersh contended.

"If he gives them the extra troops they're asking for, he loses politically," Hersh said. "And if he doesn't give them the troops, he also loses politically."

Hersh considers the worsening situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan as the principal test of the Obama presidency, which will require the cooperation of the top military brass. Obama must face up to the military, Hersh said. "He's either going to let the Pentagon run him or he has to run the Pentagon." If he doesn't, according to Hersh, "this stuff is going to be the ruin of his presidency."

Comments

[TenThings]

09:29 PM on 02/21/2010

Hmm... Senator Jeff Sesssion and Seymor Hirsh have more in common than you think. Does Obama not have control of the Military is he not Commander in Chief is that the narrative Mr. hersh is telling us? I don't think so.

It is almost like he is wishing it. The problem with the Seymour Hersh's of the world is that they want and want and want to fulfill their own prophecy. The same thing happened with poor Kennedy. Unfortunately he listened to the Seymor Hersh's - and the downside is that you give that "little underside" to the Patreaus' of the world.....Chaos Chaos chaos.

I'm sorry there is something very Self-fullfiling in this talk. You know...as much as he wants and wants to turn this into a and the Kennedy's ...it is almost like he is wishing it. Let us say..10% of the military thinks this way? 10%? How is what this man is saying making it real? IT IS ABOUT MYTH MAKING. Little known but there are many on the ground that agree with their President.

[Raster]

02:25 PM on 11/23/2009

"Seven Days in May" finally come to life.

[Eris23Skidoo]

09:38 PM on 10/27/2009

General's who work against their CIC should be warned that their behavior is treasonous and unbecoming of an officer of the US military. If they are that ticked about his "wrong color" they should resign their commissions. They ought to be worried about cleaning up some corruption. They still pay $2000 for a toilet seat and $5000 for a hammer. Who gets the kickbacks and which generals have sold out their country?

[robeson]

09:54 PM on 10/25/2009

The defense industry is the largest welfare recipient in the nation, more than SS, medicare, and all the others combined. Unlike SS, it brings in no money for the USA, and in every study returns the smallest economic benefit for dollar spent. President Eisenhower warned of its growing power that could one day destroy our democracy. But who can take it down? They have an army much more powerful than the healthcare industry or the seniors. The battle over privatization came very close to an internal revolt among the generals. If it can't heal itself, congress must starve it.

[texfly]

01:42 PM on 10/25/2009

If you want to fight a war on terror ... Do it cheaply.

If you want to build a nation in Afghanistan ... Think SMALL.

You can ONLY do A P!th-Poor Job if you think "EVERYWHERE". You can do an excellent job if you think small.

Cordon off a 20 x 20 mile sector ... man the perimeter with boo-koo's of surveilance and manned patrols. Build a small 21st century city inside complete with hospitals, airport, edcucation faciliies, etc. Admit any woman . children or elderly Afghan who want sanctuary. Vet all others. Build an economy on that scale ON:Y!

Use it to launch drones and bots to seach for the bad guys and send sudden attack troops to do the rest.

[Chopin]

06:27 PM on 10/25/2009

Thast's a perfect fun wargame to practice in your own backyard with your own radio guided mini-drones on your own lucky neighbors with paintball guided missiles. Why involve 300million fellow Americans to act out your own personal fantasy games, huh, mister?

[texfly]

02:13 PM on 10/26/2009

WHY? Because it would work. It would be far less expensive in terms of life and treasure. And our eye would be on the stated objective and be humanitarian at the same time.

I dare say that my 300 million fellow citizens are already in a war game run by idiots. To do it their way we would need more than 500,000 tropus to slog there way all over Afghanistan building a nation.

Open your eyes mister look at HOW our troops in Afghanistan are trudging around from village to village seeking and destroying ghosts who blend into the background.

[Comyndoc]

02:25 AM on 10/25/2009

FIrst of all relieve Petraeus and McKrystal of command. Close Gitmo, get our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Dnietz]

04:55 AM on 10/25/2009

if dems do well in the 2010 elections, you will see all of you just listed

[DreamerWeaver]

02:31 PM on 10/25/2009

I think Petraeus thinks he's got a shot at becoming the next president. (It just came out that way...) Bush administration built him up something fierce. Why? (Other generals and retired generals didn't respect him.)

[BambooHarvester]

02:14 AM on 10/25/2009

Batta Bing Batta Boom !
~

[perk]

02:22 AM on 10/25/2009

Thanks for that contribution.
And thanks to the Internet, your children and grandchildren will remember you as a thoughtless and ignorant boob.

[Don Quixote]

01:45 AM on 10/25/2009

Even if he's being hyperbolic, I feel a sense of dread reading his words. Think about what happened in Honduras.

Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

[Chopin]

10:44 PM on 10/25/2009

If you like Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March and Ava Gardner,
you would appreciate this movie scenario of "Seven Days in May":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33x-vZZxwGI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXCHPZyJC-4

Banana republics are not restricted to small Latin American republics beset with military juntas.

[RockyMtns]

01:28 AM on 10/25/2009

Chalmers Johnson, formerly of the CIA: "When war is more profitable, you'll see more of it."

[Chopin]

06:56 PM on 10/25/2009

Chilling truth. President Eisenhower, the reluctant warrior and prescient philosopher president had warned of the same truth as far back as in 1961. It has taken Americans almost 50 years, 3 major military misadventures, and one assa zenated president to slowly awaken to this inevitable peril.

When Kucinich advocated establishment of a small DoP (Department of Peace) in his luckless presidential campaign, to begin an effort to reverse this perilous trend, most people scoffed and laughed at his proposal, and didn't give him a second thought or a chance to explain.

. . . When the empire finally disintegrates from a bloated DoW (Department of War), euphemistically labelled DoD Pampergon, and come tumbling down, much like the Soviet Empire did at its demise, when its nuclear fleet sailors went without pay for well over 6months (?), people would wake up shocked one day, and wonder how it all happened.

[supertim]

01:24 AM on 10/25/2009

faux noise has created a myth that the pentagon is the ultimate authority in deciding troop levels, etc...so it is their myths that are boxing in the obama admn, not necessarily the pentagon, although i am sure they dont object

[KindOne]

02:05 AM on 10/25/2009

Both the pentagon and faux noise have questions to answer about the use of uranium. The FOX folks need to tell us why soldiers are dying and their children are being born deformed and diseased.

Why do they cover that up for the pentagon?

[scottbalogh]

12:49 AM on 10/25/2009

Carlosgriffin, Regarding your observation about my mind being closed, I agree, my mind is closed to the common belief that our military expansion around the world is benevolent hegemony as real neo-cons have been advancing since the 1950's. It's all about expanding capitalism with no restraints. In other words, financial gluttony. Examine PNAC philosophy and the neo-con agenda. In addition, if we "stop loss" military recruits, it is slavery. Re-instate the draft and these ugly military operations in the middle east will end, as all young americans lives will be on the line, like it or not. Furthermore, we can save a lot of taxpayer money by requiring the recruits to do such things as K.P., their own laundry etc etc like they used to do. Once again, the call is to privatize and inflate the costs.

[rivrgrrl]

01:26 AM on 10/25/2009

Well said, especially concerning the use of private contractors, who get higher pay than our troops do and costing us more in the long run as well as not having to abide by the same laws as our troops and are more and more giving the US a black eye with their immoral behaviors.

There are now more private contractors in Iraq than US troops.

[rivrgrrl]

12:08 AM on 10/25/2009

carlosgriffen - I appreciate the military perspective you bring to the discussion.

That being said, I find it puzzling that you insinuate the military is not cooperating with Obama because they fear he is not following the Constitution, and they would take matters into their own hands if need be.

Because they sure as heck did not protect us when a shrub disregarded the Constitution in numerous ways. Are you saying they agreed with the former CiC, didn't see him as playing politics with war? Yet they already are accusing this new CiC of it?

If that is what you are saying, I have mush less faith and respect in our military leadership.

[KOSMOCITIZEN]

11:35 PM on 10/24/2009

i can not say here what i have heard about military people talk to each other
about the President
but what Hersh is talking about racism , he is wright on the spot.

[carlosgriffin]

11:37 PM on 10/24/2009

Then you get bad information from Crystal Ball.

[KOSMOCITIZEN]

11:47 PM on 10/24/2009

i give you one ...
'''i missed the 60's when we had political and other assassinations''

from a high up military guy, you happy now

[Carolab]

11:37 PM on 10/24/2009

So if he just buckles under and does what McChrystal says he should do, it he then the Pentagon's "N" word?

[Carolab]

11:39 PM on 10/24/2009

*is*

[bobfeld]

11:45 PM on 10/24/2009

He already is. Most(but not all) members of military are Southern Rednecks. Need I say more??

[pterack5]

11:28 PM on 10/24/2009

all branches of our military have a command problem. . .they are all the caliber of privileged frat boys, telling lies just like college, look how far John McCain made it on his family ties, if you ain't a vet you just don't know. . .

[carlosgriffin]

11:29 PM on 10/24/2009

I hear ya, but what does that have to do with this article?

[perk]

12:14 AM on 10/25/2009

You aint a vet and you don't know.

[Carolab]

11:27 PM on 10/24/2009

How can he lose politically by refusing to send more troops? The American people want us out of there and he said he would do that.

Look what happened to Johnson when he decided to escalate Vietnam.

[perk]

11:36 PM on 10/24/2009

Here is what the President said during the campaign:
"... would immediately withdraw thousands of ground troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan to help undermanned US forces defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

"It's time to refocus our attention on the war we have to win in Afghanistan," Obama said in a speech last week. "It is time to go after the Al Qaeda leadership where it actually exists."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/06/obama_mccain_split_over_afghan_strategy/

[Carolab]

11:39 PM on 10/24/2009

Yes, but meantime, it has been established we aren't fighting AQ there. We are fighting the Taliban.

[carlosgriffin]

11:39 PM on 10/24/2009

perk,

Now we know that was another... untruth.

[carlosgriffin]

11:38 PM on 10/24/2009

There is a slight flaw in your plan. If Obama does not send what the general is asking for, then he needs to bring home all of our troops immediately.

[Carolab]

11:44 PM on 10/24/2009

Then he needs to bring home the troops. I think we'd all cheer that. The UN says they will participate in keeping Afghanistan under control.