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TechnoratiPublic Service Is Not All About Glory
Washington -- I remember how President Kennedy constantly urged young people to go into public service, telling them it could be the crown of their careers.
And I remember contrary advice from a young aide in the Nixon White House during the Watergate scandal. When he was asked at a Senate committee hearing what he would tell a young person who wanted to go into public service, the aide replied: "I'd tell him to stay away."
There is no question that there has been disillusionment on the part of many government officials in every administration. Quite often it's a slippery slope when aides become "good soldiers" and follow orders that may run counter to their conscience.
The fate of Lewis "Scooter" Libby is a case in point. Libby had served in many government positions since 1981. His last job was as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, a powerful role considering the clout that Cheney wields in the current administration.
Libby was convicted last month of obstruction of justice and perjury in the investigation of the leaking of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame's name.
In an interview last weekend on CBS-TV's "Face the Nation," Cheney said he had not talked to Libby since his conviction. "There hasn't been an occasion to do so, but I have enormous regard for the man. I believe deeply in Scooter Lobby. This is a great tragedy."
While government service can be rewarding, it also has its pitfalls. The Libby case shows how former aides become untouchable once they fall by the wayside.
The Bush administration called on then-Secretary of State Colin Powell before the U.S. invasion of Iraq to win over Americans who were undecided about the merits of such an attack. He made a take-no-prisoners presentation on Feb. 5, 2003, and convinced many that Saddam Hussein was indeed seeking weapons of mass destruction.
Later, when the evidence was in and no weapons were found, Powell said the whole sales job had been a "blot" on his career.
Powell was ousted after Bush's first term, as was former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, who had been serving as head of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the Bush White House. That board advises the president about U.S. intelligence operations.
In Scowcroft's case, he had made the mistake of publicly criticizing the attack on Iraq.
Both Powell and Scowcroft are veterans of the administration of the president's father, former President Bush. Both were dedicated public servants but both were dumped for being too dovish in a very hawkish administration.
It is sad that the White House was turned down by five retired generals when they were offered the new post of "czar" to coordinate all U.S. activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Retired Marine Corps Gen. John Sheehan explained his rejection of the job in an op-ed column in The Washington Post Monday titled "Why I Declined To Serve."
He began by saying:
"Service to the nation is both a responsibility and an honor for every citizen presented with an opportunity. This is especially true in times of war and crisis.
"Today, because of the war in Iraq, this nation is in a crisis of confidence and is confused about its foreign policy direction, especially in the Middle East."
The general went on to list the obstacles and the enormity of the post, including overcoming the bureaucracy and fitting the new "surge" -- or escalation of the war -- into the overall strategic framework.
Sheehan wound up by saying, "It would have been a great honor to serve the country again" but after "thoughtful discussions with people in and out of the administration," he decided not to take the position.
The general added: "We got it right in the early days of Afghanistan ... (but) we have never gotten it right in Iraq."
There probably are many who are serving in those far off places who feel the same way, but they don't have the luxury of saying, "No, I won't go."
Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers. E-mail: helent@hearstdc.com.
Copyright 2007 Hearst Newspapers.
17 Comments so far
Show All"He lied to the world at the UN. Whatever his prior achievements, they were all negated by his acquiescence to use his reputation to lend credence to that box of lies he testified to. Maybe he feels bad, now."
I don't think for a minute he knew these were lies at the time, but I can't argue about afterwards.
Peace Warrior
As you say, the bulk of public servants are honest, hard working, even dedicated.....they are mostly us.
But the people put in place above them by appointment run the show. Great example is Albert Hawkins of HHSC in Texas. A total disgrace that wrecked the Welfare program in Texas at his Masters orders.
I work in public service
Helen, I'm almost certain was speaking of elected office, if not, I apologize
but if you don't think that most people in the Congress and the White House are/have been there because they are rotten egomaniac meglamaniacs hellbent on getting theirs, selling out to anyone-everyone-anything-everything willing to pay, give them more money, more power.....
then I frankly don't know what you're seeing, but it is not reality.
Dennis Kucinich is not the norm in public life
George Bush, Dick Cheney, Con. Rice, Bill Clinton, Al Gore.....this is the norm...for sale...for sale...for sale
How many are owned by corporations ?
How many are not ?
Tell me again it's not about the profit.
Grow up
When something is wrong, it is not negative to state it as it. It's the only way to begin to fix it
Denial keeps the status quo alive and well, which is pathetic if one hopes to ever have a government that represents the people, instead of the multi-national corporations, ever again
To Thomas More,
Colin Powell waited 'til he could "gracefully quit." He should have quit promptly and loudly. He lied to the world at the UN. Whatever his prior achievements, they were all negated by his acquiescence to use his reputation to lend credence to that box of lies he testified to. Maybe he feels bad, now. But to this date he has never come clean and disavowed nor revealed the depths of the fabrications that became Bush's War.
"Public Service Is Not All About Glory"
I agree with that.
But I disagree with Peace Warrior's comment that public service (since 1980) has been all about profit.
Some public services are not-for-profit. Many people who work and volunteer with these services do so because they really do care about the well-being of others. Maybe some people start in public services with the the principal desire of profit, but some of them might also change their interests within time (ie. having more humane intentions.) Of course, it can also happen the other way around.
To "serve a country" doesn't mean fighting in the war (as was implied by Sheehan. Serving a country, or more broadly humanity, can include behaviours that intend to improve the state of things and the people that are around or distant from us.
Those who worship the glories of the past and want to shrink government to the point it can be drowned in a bath tub (that ever so dear Grover Norquist, talk about a "compassion deficit!") may also prefer feudalism. How far is it from serfs and landowners these days, with debtor's prisons the invisible yoke of interest upon credit card debt? Same game, new costumes.
As someone who's worked in the public sector (county/state/university) for over 20 years, I can say for certain that it's not the way to get rich -- only a relatively few higher level administrators make the big bucks, and they seem to have politics, pull, or something that lands them their positions. It's typically not that they are the most qualified applicant. One of (many) non-democratic aspects about our economy, whether public private sector, is that people are hired by their higher-ups, rather than by their future underlings.
That said, I've been tracking real estate costs and in many parts of the country a public servant's salary (including teachers, police, fire, etc.) has sunk to new lows relative to genuine cost of living. I'm unsure a cop, for instance, can realistically afford to live in some metropolitan areas unless s/he's got a second job or working spouse also. Even then it may be a big struggle. This may not be new, but I believe that the challenge is worse now than at any point in my career in the public sector.
Today's public servant (director) usually writes checks, and makes sure that their ability to write checks isn't compromised. If anyone (whistleblower, for example) gets in the way of the fun, then the Public Servant becomes a career destroyer. That's why CACI, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and others, own the Government. (They told us when to start bombing Iraq, example two)
Of course, with any broad generalization, there are a few public servants who really are committed to serving, uncorrupted and unbureaucratically poisoned.
You're wrong Helen (your Walt Disney flavored high level script writing is equally tiring): the public servant can easily stand up and say "enough is enough". Not all public servants are squeamish about joining the insurgent rebellion, They realize it's the right thing to do, so you can't stop them even by bombing.
right! Thanks PJD for reminding people
you dont get to be joint chief of staff for the 1st gulf war by being a good guy
the fact that he only calls the outright lies told to the security council a "blot" on his record
oh brother! talk about hubris - jeez louise!
down with the empire!
Powell was also a key player in attempting to cover up the Mi Lai Massacre in Vietnam.
Like a lot of people, I had a high opinion of Colin Powell.Knowing what we now know of the truth about so called missile cylinders,chemical weapons ,etc.,the charade at the U.N. with Powell detailing all these lies, that he knew to be lies,with the lecherous looking Tenet sitting behind him, who also knew it was all a lie and was rewarded with the Medal of Honour (previous Medal winners are entitled to think their award has been somewhat downgraded),has made most of us unbelieving of any information coming from any Govt.entity.
A general or admiral with understanding and a true sense of public service, would take the job, tell his true employer (the US public, as opposed to the President who is merely boss) the truth, demand competent leadership, and let the chips fall where they may as far as his own career. It won't happen because they spent 30 years in an officer culture based on toing the line and accepting that truth is what the powers that be say it is.
If Powell had any integrity, he would have resigned as a matter of principle and publicly lambasted Bush. He did not, therefore not jeopardizing his future public speaking fees. To put Powell in perspective, his second assignment in Vietnam was to cover up incidents like My Lai (see www.consortiumnews.com). During the Gulf War phase of the 16 year old US-Iraq war(*), Powell had command responsibility for the "shock and awe" bombing campaign, followed by an embargo, that resulted in an estimated more than 1/2 million deaths of children under 5; little of this had anything to do with evicting the Iraq army from Kuwait (except for using Kuwait as excuse). Also, Powell made clear in his biography that because the first President Bush treated him well, he was personally loyal to them, and, (I presume) not as loyal to his country.
Look at history from the perspective of a retired Smedley Butler, and it is easy to see that military service is not truly "public service" but service of the rich and powerful in exchange for (in most cases for officers) personal gain. The majority of US citizens who have died in wars were killed by the US military or its deserters (long live R. E. Lee et al, Indian wars, OK City, etc.).
(*) Since we never stopped bombing Iraq, merely slowed down, it is really only one continuous war.
I agree Key89. Thing is, many people COULD and WOULD show courage if they were not tinkered with from birth onward. Their parents USUALLY try to socialize them to "fit in," and education lines kids up in rows and then seeks to do likewise with their thinking process via standardized tests. The fundamentalist religions have a whole realm of motivational devices that mostly use devices like fear, hell, and "damnation" to get individuals to behave alike. It IS painful when anyone steps out and is castigated by the group. This is why there is so much sheep-like behavior. It's also why solitary confinement is such a popular modus operandi among torturers (or prison guards). INTEGRITY is one of the great core human values, and in our society of semblance, verisimilitude (even food is NOT food of the nutritional substantive sort in many cases) and instant gratification, so many sell out. However, as you said, there IS a price to be paid. I don't think it always comes up in the current lifetime. There is instant karma, and there's also the really SLOW kind. Eventually justice, light, beauty and decency win over all that is not.
"The Colin Powells, the Scooter Libbys, the hatchet men and women, the bought and sold variety of living human corpse, have sold their souls to maintain their positions." (From key89)
I can't believe you have lumped Colin Powell in with the rest of the Bushistas. A fine man that served his country well and with honor. As Secretay of State he was betrayed by these same people and you'll notice he got out as soon as he could gracefully quit.
There are plenty of folks in Public Service that are serving both in the military and the government that are disgusted with this bunch of Sand Box soldiers. Don't villify them just because they have to serve with cowards in charge.
And........since 1980..........Public Service has not been "all about profit" Everyone on the other side are not bad.
"Public Service Is Not All About Glory"
You're right Helen
Since 1980 Public Service has been all about profit
(at the expense of the working class and poor)
Maybe profits = glory...... for retardricans
Besides USMC Gen. John Sheehan, another Marine general to listen to is Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler who wrote the classic book "War is a Racket" about his observations as a Marine officer in the 20th Century.
Butler saw the corruption in the unholy alliance between war profiteers, warmongers, chicken hawks and politicians.
Americans seem to be increasingly waking up to these severe problems and demanding that those in the Bush-Cheney administration who have engaged in misconduct and criminal activities be held legally accountable.
Thoughts on changes in America today at:
"Winds of change again blowing across America"
PopulistAmerica.com
April 20, 2007
http://www.populistamerica.com/winds_of_change_again_blowing_across_america
Thank You key89 . . .
May there be a majority that follow your thoughts.
Only time will tell . . .
One point that this brings to my mind is that honesty and integrity have a price. However we cut the deck, we will all pay, either for having it or for not having it. The difference is that those of us who are willing to speak up, stand out, dare to be different, have controversial opinions, take it on the chin, and do our own thinking will pay up-front, where the rest will pay, with interest, later on. Perhaps it will not sit well with our bosses, our partners, our parents, our friends and acquaintances that we don't acquiesce in a feeling of silent powerlessness. But if we practice telling the truth, then when it comes time to do for the record, it will be as easy as breathing, for we will have made it a practice to do so.
The Colin Powells, the Scooter Libbys, the hatchet men and women, the bought and sold variety of living human corpse, have sold their souls to maintain their positions. Really, look all around you and tell me that there aren't these types of compromised people all around, and that they don't outnumber the rest of us. They infiltrate our corporations. They allow fear to overcome truth. They'll see you sold into slavery, off to prison for being politically dissident. They'll tell you later, privately, that they supported you all along, but they'll say nothing in your defense when it counts and can make a difference.
Are there only two types of humans? No, there is only one type of human. There are two behavioral choices, like competing strands of DNA. Those so afraid to tell the truth that they allow injustice to occur are the ones Winston Churchill described as one "who throws his friends to the alligator in hopes that the alligator will eat him last." On the other hand, Einstein said that "the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
Freedom is not free. I, for one, have decided that I have not come all this way and this nation has not come all this way in order to succumb to tyranny and fascism. Therefore, I endeavor to speak up early and often. May it be the same for you, enlightened reader.
www.raycarlson.com