Between Chicken & Bull

The Man Between War and Peace aka Admiral William "Fox" Fallon.

To hear the "left" tell it, Fallon is the man who stood between Iran and Boy George.

That Fallon has been "brazenly challenging his commander in chief."

That Fallon has been the lone resistance to BushCo's military strike on Iran.

That Bush is not accustomed to a subordinate who speaks his mind as freely as Fallon does, and the president may have had enough," forcing Fallon to resign.

Good grief people. The man has 41 years in the military - time to retire? You think?

For months the opposition stories have been of "this administration's" dangerous push to war on Iran and only the patient, calm resolve of Fallon's reasoned voice has prevented the war with Iran.

Well, who do you think appointed Fallon to his commands these past 7 years? That's right, "this administration." And Fallon was a HUGE improvement over Tommy Franks and John P. Abizaid.

As KAB has posted for the past 3 years: We are not going to war with Iran. And, if by some slimmest of a slim chance Bush or the next president declares Iran war, it will be as Fallon himself says regarding the Middle East - "These guys are ants. When the time comes, you crush them."

But turning the ME into a glass parking lot would sure interfere with oil profits. Not to mention the angry mob at home that might get off its ass and blame politicians when the economy really goes to a wartime economy, and they lose their cable TV.

Last fall, it was reported in the press that Fallon had called General Petraeus an "ass-kissing little chickenshit" for being so willing to serve as the administration's political frontman on the Iraq surge. Fallon says the press has an overactive imagination and the story was "absolute bullshit." He said his own children called laughing and saying they knew the story was false because "chickenshit" is not a word he would use.

Beginning March 31st with Fallon's retirement the command will be taken over, at least temporarily, by Lt. Col. Martin Dempsey, his promotion to 4-star General awaits senate approval. Whether Dempsey is another "brazen challenger of this administration" or an "asskissing little chickenshit" we must wait for the media to tell us.

Fallon's own statement on his retirement:
Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the President’s policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the CENTCOM region. And although I don’t believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command Area of Responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America’s interests there.

You could read the statement as a polite way of leaving without saying anything nasty about "this administration." But come on folks, Fallon has 4 decades of dealing with men like BushCo, at home and abroad - males like "Fox" Fallon, who walk softly and carry a big stick, are not forced out of anything.

Or you could read the statement as saying the media, often "absolute bullshit," has made it difficult, as Fallon says, to do his job - which would make you wonder why the seeming "anti-war" crowd would create an atmosphere Fallon doesn't want to work under.

Or the statement may simply mean he's old, he's tired, and ready to retire.

And you could say the same crowd, which has shilled for 5 years of the rush to war with Iran, is full of shit - be it chicken or bull.