Bill Clinton’s Army
2 comments April 25th, 2007
While Donald Rumsfeld, as Secretary of Defense, was visiting American troops in Iraq, he was bombarded with indignation over the poor preparation for war. One soldier confronted Rumsfeld, pointing out that vehicles had not been armored for protection against roadside bombs, and the soldiers of the world’s wealthiest military power had to resort to scrounging for scrap metal to improve the poor protection offered by their humvees. Rumsfeld replied with typical insensitivity, “You go to war with the army you have.” That meant Bill Clinton’s army.
The Bush administration will be held accountable by history for plunging the nation into an unecessary and catastrophic war. However, the Clintons also bear responsibility. Hillary Clinton, of course, voted to authorize George W. Bush to launch an unprovoked attack on Iraq without requiring a congressional declaration of war. However, there is another angle to the complicity of the Clintons in the Iraq debacle. It goes to the heart of Hillary and Bill’s uncomfortable relationship with the U.S. military.
When Bill Clinton assumed the presidency, the United States Army could deploy 16 combat divisions in the field. It was this force structure that enabled the first President Bush to launch the successful Operation Desert Storm in 1991, which pushed the Iraqi army out of Kuwait. However, when Bill and Hillary Clinton left office, they transfered to the second Bush an army severely diminished in power and that could only deploy 10 combat divisions. In effect, Bill Clinton reduced the power of the American army by almost half. This meant the army could not hope to match the same deployment that was successfull against Iraq in 1991.
Among President Bush’s many faults, I blame him for thinking he could successfully go to war with Bill Clinton’s army, without first affecting a major restoration of its force structure. The ultimate question, however, is what Hillary Clinton’s army might look like. I shudder to contemplate the possibilities.
