Jindal inserts politics in military decision (1 Viewer)

mg450

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Article in todays T-P says that Bobby Jindal appointed 5 retired generals to make recommendations on Louisiana's military dep/national guard to keep politics out of things and let military men have input. He didn't like what they were saying so he cancelled their reporting meeting several times and never held it. And never read their report because it was to be presented at the meeting. His office then reported to the press that they made a decision after meeting with the generals and that the generals had no report. Note: the decision, obviously, was one the generals did not support.

Good thing we've got such an ethical new administration.

Link to article: Jindal move riles retired generals -
New Orleans News - NOLA.com


Text of letter from generals to Jindal's office: http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2008/04/rxs1.pdf
 
Just so we know where we're coming from here, who did you vote for in the Governor's election?
 
Stroud, deGeneres, Ross, Abercrombie and Averitt represent the "old guard" of the Louisiana National Guard.

Under Stroud, it was run like a fiefdom, with patronage and privilege as the norm. Asking that group for an impartial assessment was a mistake to start with.
 
Just so we know where we're coming from here, who did you vote for in the Governor's election?

I didn't vote for Jindal (because I think he is party puppet who is not willing to do anything that will buck his chances at moving up the political latter), but I have always not been horribly upset by him, because I am big fan of having smart people run our state (and he certainly would seem to be intelligent, politics aside).
 
mg450, I apologize for thr threadjack, but is there anywhere, online perhaps, that I could view your avatar at full size? I have never read it before, thanks.
 
I didn't vote for Jindal (because I think he is party puppet who is not willing to do anything that will buck his chances at moving up the political latter), but I have always not been horribly upset by him, because I am big fan of having smart people run our state (and he certainly would seem to be intelligent, politics aside).

Fair enough
"Good thing we've got such an ethical new administration." sounded like rather pointed sarcasm. If you're mostly focused on discrediting Jindal I figured we might as well get that out of the way now :)

I don't know a whole lot about this. Just looking at it superficially it seems pretty gamey to me though. I don't mind Jindal rejecting their advice, appointing who you want is executive privilege and Jindal isn't the first executive to exercise it. But it seems pretty lame to form a committee ostensibly to provide advice, and then to not even accept it and just appoint whoever you wanted to from the beginning.
 
Fair enough
"Good thing we've got such an ethical new administration." sounded like rather pointed sarcasm. If you're mostly focused on discrediting Jindal I figured we might as well get that out of the way now :)

I don't know a whole lot about this. Just looking at it superficially it seems pretty gamey to me though. I don't mind Jindal rejecting their advice, appointing who you want is executive privilege and Jindal isn't the first executive to exercise it. But it seems pretty lame to form a committee ostensibly to provide advice, and then to not even accept it and just appoint whoever you wanted to from the beginning.

Yeah - my read exactly.
 
mg450, I apologize for thr threadjack, but is there anywhere, online perhaps, that I could view your avatar at full size? I have never read it before, thanks.

Sorry - I do not rememeber (but the pic wasn't good enought to read the words anyway).
 
I would like to hear Bobby's side. As a guy with employees, you like to have their input, but you can't always follow it since their input will be somewhat biased and ultimately blame will be placed at your feet. However the article states that Jindal never read the report. I am curious as to how they can make that accusation without providing any proof.
 
[Verse:]
When the war was over, why, there were jobs galore
For the G.I. Josephs who were in the war
But for generals things were not so grand
And it's not so hard to understand

[Refrain:]
What can you do with a general
When he stops being a general?
Oh, what can you do with a general who retires?

Who's got a job for a general
When he stops being a general?
They all get a job but a general no one hires

They fill his chest with medals while he's across the foam
And they spread the crimson carpet when he comes marching home
The next day someone hollers when he comes into view
"Here comes the general" and they all say "General who?"
They're delighted that he came
But they can't recall his name

Nobody thinks of assigning him
When they stop wining and dining him
It seems this country never has enjoyed
So many one and two and three and four star generals
Unemployed

Irving Berlin What Can You Do With A General? lyrics
 
However the article states that Jindal never read the report.

I believe "they", and by "they" I mean Stroud, said they never formally presented the report.
Stroud said the committee had completed its report in January and the governor's office repeatedly canceled scheduled meetings to deliver it.

The issue here then isn't that he rejected advice, it would be that he formed a committee and then, apparently, dismissed them completely. The implication being made is he was trying/hoping to that the committee would appoint who he wanted, so that it would look apolitical, but when it looked like they'd go in a different direction he simply blocked them from ever formally offering a recommendation and just did what he wanted to do anyways.
 
I believe "they", and by "they" I mean Stroud, said they never formally presented the report.


The issue here then isn't that he rejected advice, it would be that he formed a committee and then, apparently, dismissed them completely. The implication being made is he was trying/hoping to that the committee would appoint who he wanted, so that it would look apolitical, but when it looked like they'd go in a different direction he simply blocked them from ever formally offering a recommendation and just did what he wanted to do anyways.

Sounds like he inserted politics into a political decision.
 
I'm a Jindal fan, and I may have even voted for him (probably still registered in Orleans Parish), but even if the committee had it's own agenda and fatal bias, the Bush-esque way it was strangled in the crib does sort of make you lift an eyebrow.

Better he had addressed his issues with the committee or the report head-on. I wouldn't be inclined to make much of a deal of it, but maybe in the back of your mind you make a note to make sure you don't see a pattern of imperial behavior from the Governor's office. Still, it's pretty early in his term, and I am in favor of much of what he's done and the way he's done it so far.
 

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