Of all the possible reactions to General Anthony Zinni’s condemnation of the Bush administration, I didn’t expect the most obvious choice: silence.
Zinni, former commander of the U.S. Central Command and Bush’s former hand-picked special envoy to the Middle East, was on 60 Minutes just three days ago, offering a blistering attack on the administration and its handling of the war in Iraq. When Richard Clarke did something very similar a couple of months ago, the White House smear machine kicked into high gear, attacking Clarke’s credibility, accusing him of perjury, questioning his expertise, and hinting that he’s gay.
And yet there was Zinni, offering an angry critique that was equal parts credible and devastating, in a very high-profile setting. In response, the White House…did absolutely nothing. What happened? I think there are at least three things at play.
First, the White House handling of Clarke’s criticisms was a terrible debacle, and for a change, they’ve learned from their mistakes. The more they went after Clarke, the more it seemed like Clarke was damaging Bush. It created a near feeding frenzy. After all, if Clarke’s accusations were baseless, why was the White House acting like the charges were so serious? Worse, the attacks went on for days, keeping the story alive, and generating increased attention for Clarke.
In contrast, Bush aides are pretending like Zinni barely exists. When Scott McClellan was asked about Zinni’s charges on Monday, less than a day after the 60 Minutes broadcast, he acted like the former general was inconsequential.
Reporter: [Zinni] is a general who, as part of his duties as the leader of the Central Command, had drawn up contingency war plans for Iraq. It seems that he’s suggesting the President needs to go further than what you’re indicating he will.
McClellan: [W]e have great respect for General Zinni, but the President looks to the active commanders who are under his command in implementing the strategy we have put forward for success in Iraq.
That’s it. A dismissive comment later, McClellan was moving on. It was not only clever, it was the exact opposite of the anti-Clarke strategy.
Second, the press is a lot less interested in Zinni’s concerns. When Clarke levied his charges in March, it was in the midst of the 9/11 Commission hearings. The day after Clarke was on 60 Minutes, McClellan was pestered with 26 questions from the White House press corps about Clarke and the charges he raised. The next day, there were a dozen more.
In contrast, Zinni’s name was brought up just twice this week at McClellan’s briefing.
Despite Zinni’s enormous credibility and personal experiences, reporters just don’t seem to care about his analysis here. When Clarke’s story broke in March, the Washington Post, for example, put it on the front page — above the fold — kicking off a full week of reports. The Post reported on Zinni’s charges this week, but it was on page A19 — and there was no follow-up.
And finally, I don’t think the White House could think of grounds for a counter-attack against Zinni, even if it wanted to launch one. Zinni is not just another decorated general; he’s one of the most respected American military leaders of recent memory. He’s a self-identified Republican who voted for Bush, who the president has already heaped praise upon. What, exactly, would they smear him with?
What’s worse, if there’s one thing that’s been abundantly clear over the last year-and-a-half, it’s that Zinni was right and the White House was wrong.
When Bush declared the war in Iraq a “mission accomplished,” it was Zinni who spoke out quickly to say what the president should have been saying. “It’s not a phased conflict,” Zinni said. “There isn’t a fighting part and then another part. At the end of the third inning we declared victory and said the game’s over. It ain’t over.”
Three months later, Zinni had the foresight to see disaster on the horizon.
“My contemporaries, our feelings and sensitivities were forged on the battlefields of Vietnam, where we heard the garbage and the lies, and we saw the sacrifice. I ask you, is it happening again?”
No wonder the White House is satisfied pretending Zinni doesn’t exist. If they had listened to him all along, they wouldn’t be in this mess.