Vice President William J. Fallon

The Democratic nominee for president should think about putting this man on the ticket:



That's Admiral William J. Fallon, until just recently the commander of U.S. Central Command, responsible for overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Bush administration ousted Admiral Fallon after Esquire magazine published a profile of him that highlighted his opposition to a war with Iran and his desire to draw down U.S. troop levels in Iraq right now.

Where does Admiral Fallon stand on tax policy? On trade? On the environment? Is he even a Democrat?

It doesn't matter.

There is no issue more important than the war in Iraq, except perhaps the war in Afghanistan, not to mention the war with Iran that the Bush administration may be planning.

When decisions are made about whether to pull troops out of one country or deploy them to another, it would be immeasurably reassuring to have someone high in the administration who really knows what he's doing. Someone who can evaluate the intelligence and the reports from the commanders. Someone who doesn't need to build a reputation for toughness.

This is from Admiral Fallon's biography on the U.S. Navy's web site:

Adm. Fallon commanded Attack Squadron 65 embarked aboard Dwight D. Eisenhower, Medium Attack Wing 1 at NAS Oceana, Va., and Carrier Air Wing 8 aboard Theodore Roosevelt during a combat deployment to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Assigned as Commander, Carrier Group 8 in 1995, he deployed to the Mediterranean as Commander, Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group and commanded Battle Force 6th Fleet (CTF 60) during NATO’s combat Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia. Adm. Fallon served as Commander, 2nd Fleet and Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic from November 1997 to September 2000.

Shore duties included assignment as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Fleet Air Jacksonville, and to the staffs of Commander, Reconnaissance Attack Wing 1; Commander, Operational Test Force, and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He has served as Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and as Deputy Director, Aviation Plans and Requirements on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington. His first flag officer assignment was with NATO as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy for Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. He was then assigned as Deputy and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Fleet followed by assignment as Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Command. Adm. Fallon served as the 31st Vice Chief of Naval Operations from October 2000 to August 2003. He was the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet from October 2003 to February 2005. He served as Commander, U.S. Pacific Command from February 2005 until March 2007. Adm. Fallon is a graduate of the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., the National War College in Washington, D.C., and has a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University.

His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and various unit and campaign decorations.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Admiral Fallon "one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today."

Esquire's profile describes the grueling work schedule that Admiral Fallon maintained as commander of Centcom. "Fallon travels at least three weeks out of each month, spending, on average, two weeks in theater, meaning the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia," wrote Thomas P.M. Barnett, "He travels to Iraq and Afghanistan every month like clockwork."

Senator John McCain has made eight trips to Iraq and still isn't sure which militants are al-Qaeda and which ones are Iranian-backed Shiites, but he thinks the "surge" is going splendidly and believes the United States ought to have troops in Iraq for the rest of our lives, if necessary.

Admiral Fallon disagrees with that view. He thinks there is another way to protect the national security of the United States.

He told Esquire that what America needs is a "combination of strength and willingness to engage."

And he's no armchair quarterback.

William J. Fallon for Vice President.


Copyright 2008

Editor's note: You might be interested in reading "A Plan to Get Out of Iraq: Blackstone's Fundamental Rights and the Power of Property" [2004] and "Why the Iraq Policy Isn't Working," [2005] along with "The Motive for War: How to End the Violence in Iraq" [2006], and "Hearing from the Troops" [2008].

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