The Pentagon's Purge of Generals and my dad's response

[proud patriot]

I sent my dad the story about rummy's little purge http://www.msnbc.com/news/947673.asp


This is what he sent in response :

Stalin. Of course, he had them taken out and shot.

It's mainly that bastard Rumsfeld's idea. He figures that he can pack the Army leadership with a bunch of right-wing hawks like him. They don't want any more Colin Powell's. In fact, I heard tonight that if Bush is finally elected for real in 2004, he will not return as Secty of State.

Reminds me of Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. Remember, he ordered Atty Gen Elliot Richardson to fire the Independent Counsel, Archibald Cox, who was investigating Nixon's dirty tricks and Watergate. Richardson refused and resigned in protest. Then Deputy Atty Gen. William Ruckelshaus was ordered to fire Cox and refused. Nixon fired him.

What isn't often mentioned is that Robert Bork was the next in line, Nixon asked him and it was him who WAS the asshole who fired Cox. Remember him, the Dems blocked his appointment to the Supreme Court - Reagan nominated him.

Dad


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Article on Saturday Massacre

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/saturdaymassacre_980917.html


Oct. 20 In a Saturday night news conference, White House press secretary Ronald Ziegler announces that Elliot Richardson has resigned and that Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus has been dismissed after refusing to fire Cox as special prosecutor. Solicitor General Robert Bork then carries out Nixon’s order and fires Cox.

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Stalin's Purge of the Military

http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/ww2/lectures/purge.html

In May and June the arrest of Marshal Tukhachevskii, who more than anyone else was responsible for the development of the Red Army into an effective fighting force, and of other senior-level military officers followed that of Iagoda. Charged with espionage and treason on the behalf of foreign powers. Tukhachevskii and the other military ''conspirators'' were tried by all special and secret court, found guilty, and shot. Tukhachevskii and his immediate associates denied these charges; and the only ''real'' evidence to establish their guilt was all falsified dossier that had been planted with the NKVD by the German Gestapo.

Their execution marked the beginning of all general purge of the army that was to eliminate 3 of the 5 marshals, 14 of the 16 army commanders, and approximately half of the 70 to 80,000 men in the entire officer corps. Needless to say, this purge necessarily had an extremely deleterious effect on the effectiveness of the Red Army's military leadership.

[workersunite]

1. Well, as far as Bork goes...

He felt it was up to him to do the President's bidding. And that Nixon was truly within his rights to fire Cox. Plus he was very unfairly targeted and mistreated during his Senate hearings. IMHO.

[Trajan]

3. One might wonder .....

WHY would anyone support Nixon OR Bork in a progressive forum ? .....

[Pastiche423]

6. Hell

I've been wondering that all night.

Thanks for sharing and dusting off memories, PP!

[JohnKleeb]

7. good question especially after how Nixon viewed workers

the only workers Nixon were in to were, Jimmy Hoffa. Bork and Nixon, if I were moderate I wouldnt like them.

[Jim Sagle]

10. That's why DU made Alert buttons.

[juajen]

19. Man, they're all over the place tonight!

N/T

[ProudDad]

11. Bork was righteously borked in '87

I think that the Bork nomination was the one of the last times that the Dems really showed spine.

I wonder if he's still working for Netscape?

http://www.mediatransparency.org/people/robert_bork.htm

I love this quote about his book and arguments: "It seems a tad preposterous for a man whose writing is so aggressively unwieldy, whose use of evidence is mercenary at best, and whose facts are often glibly wrong, to pattle on about the decline of the intellect and the abandonment of objective truth".

I couldn't have said it better.

[charlie]

14. I read Slouching Towards Gomorrah moons ago

and honestly remember little of it, except... being astonished that it was written by this leading intellectual of the right. It was mostly bilious polemics and personal anecdotes, like something from a smarter Pat Robertson.

[Hamlette]

16. Bork was unfairly treated??????

You must be kidding. You must have not been paying attention. Bork would overturn Griswold v Conneticut. His firing of Cox had nothing to do with his getting Borked. He was borked because he was a judicial activist with an agenda and the vast majority of American's had no intention of going back to the pre-Griswold-religion cave.

[MaryBear]

2. Thanks, proudpatriot!

Your Dad made a very nice, and telling analogy. Bring him on to DU! Bushco is dangerous; more people need to recognize it.

[proud patriot]

5. He likes DU reads more than posts though

Thanks GrandmaBear

[ProudDad]

12. I'm here

Don't worry, my daughter keeps me well informed. I work in other vinyards most days but I'm with you all here too.

Proud Dad

[JohnKleeb]

4. apparently I can see where PP gets her intellect from

Got a smart dad there PP.

[mightywurlitzer]

8. Does this

frighten anyone as much as it does me? Remember, these are the guys controlling the weapons -- they're not supposed to be ideological, they're supposed to uphold the constitution.

:scared:

[proud patriot]

9. Buckle your seatbelt we're in for a bumpy ride and

:hi:Welcome Underground

[ProudDad]

13. The Constitution

I'm pretty sure they haven't read it. If they have, they obviously did not understood it.

It is imperative that we do everything we can to make sure that Bush isn't finally elected in '04.

PD

[newyawker99]

21. Hi mightywurlitzer!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[jafap]

15. Live, from Washington DC, it's Saturday Night!

Ziegler's press conference was so bizarre it could almost stand as a parody - an early SNL skit that they did in DC. Wasn't Cox then promptly replaced, with Republican help, by Ron Jaworski who later played quarterback for the Buffalo Bills? I cannot keep my Watergate characters straight. What was Howard Dean's job again?

Rummy was in my town as the Leavenworth base got a new commanding officer. Was that a promotion, or was somebody deep-sixed to the boondocks? I guess Rummy's presence suggests promotion.

[proud patriot]

17. You mean John Dean

Howard is a different fellow from Vermont

[charlie]

18. I think that was just a bit of comedy, PP

Leon --> Ron Jaworski
Howard --> John Dean
:)

[proud patriot]

20. Thanks charlie

:-)