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Why he turned down a dud of a job

"When asked whether I would like to be considered for the position of White House implementation manager for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I knew that it would be a difficult assignment, but also an honor, and that this was a serious task that needed to be done. I served as the military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense in the mid-1980s and more recently as commander in chief of the Atlantic Command during the Cuban and Haitian migrant operation and the reconstruction of Haiti."

So writes Marine Corp retired general John Sheehan in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post. Sheehan considered the various issues involved and says:

"What I found in discussions with current and former members of this administration is that there is no agreed-upon strategic view of the Iraq problem or the region."

More troubling of all is Sheehan's conclusion:

"It would have been a great honor to serve this nation again. But after thoughtful discussions with people both in and outside of this administration, I concluded that the current Washington decision-making process lacks a linkage to a broader view of the region and how the parts fit together strategically. We got it right during the early days of Afghanistan -- and then lost focus. We have never gotten it right in Iraq. For these reasons, I asked not to be considered for this important White House position. These huge shortcomings are not going to be resolved by the assignment of an additional individual to the White House staff. They need to be addressed before an implementation manager is brought on board."

Hardly a vote of confidence in where the US is headed in the Middle East..... By the way, when last heard, the position of Implementation Manager [whatever that is supposed to mean!] was still open.

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