for, despite the cruel way they were brought to our shores. I wish there were some way we could reach accord and end this marital spat.”
“As do I, Mr. President.”
Snow kissed her on the cheek and turned to Dan Rawlings. “Mr. Rawlings, you are still one arrogant bastard, but I admire your stance as well.”
“Thank you, Mr. President. My grandfather, who was also a California legislator in the fifties and sixties, once told me a little story about arrogance. He was an enlisted man in World War II, in the Navy. He told me that the exact same characteristic in a human is seen differently in the military and also in politics. An officer with a strong opinion was generally seen as a self-confident individual, destined for higher office. An enlisted man who stood his ground was an arrogant son-of-a-bitch.”
President Snow laughed loudly. “I know more officers than I do enlisted men, Mr. Rawlings, but I can tell you that’s not true. Most of the officers I know are also arrogant bastards. Have a safe trip home. And gird your loins, son, because the full power and authority of the United States government is going to come down on you like a ton of bricks. And this time, General Del Valle is not going to arrive with the cavalry in the nick of time.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Mr. President.”
Chapter 24
Hart Senate Office Building
June
Two weeks following his first appearance before the Senate sub-committee on intelligence, General Austin was back at the witness table, accompanied by General Connor. He came at the invitation of Senator Culpepper after the two had determined this was a proper forum to address the contents of the draft Domestic Tranquility bill. Culpepper gaveled the meeting to order.
“Senators, Secretary Austin, General Connor, welcome this morning to our weekly committee meeting. The subject this morning, ladies and gentlemen, is Secretary Austin’s summary analysis of the draft Domestic Tranquility proposal as put forth by Strategic Initiatives. We are also here to review the supporting analysis, recommending approval, prepared by General Wainscott, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. I provided Secretary Austin a copy of the proposal several weeks ago and have invited him to present his findings.”
He paused for a moment, shuffling some papers on the table in front of him.
“Are there any initial questions or inquiries that need to be addressed before we turn the time over to Secretary Austin?”
On the far left end of the table, Senator Wright, Democrat from Arkansas, leaned forward and spoke into his microphone. “Mr. Chairman, I have a quick question, if you would indulge me.”
“Certainly, Senator Wright. Please proceed.”
“Mr. Secretary,” Wright began, “in preparing for our hearing today, I read several of your earlier memos to this committee. My question this morning stems from that reading. You indicate that the State Department and diplomatic efforts will bear little fruit with these terrorists and those who support them. Could I ask you to further explain that statement?”
Secretary Austin looked toward Senator Wright and thought for just a moment. “Senator, do you believe in God?”
A startled look on his face, the senator responded. “What does my spiritual leaning have to do with my question, Mr. Secretary,” he said, his voice now challenging.
“Everything, Senator. May I ask the question again? Do you believe in God? Any god?”
“Let’s assume for the sake of our conversation that I do not. How would you answer the question?” Wright asked.
“Given the content of our meeting today, and the time frame, I’ll try to provide a summary answer. Diplomats, including those in our State Department, believe that any two reasonable parties can sit down and find mutual agreement about some, if not all, of the issues on the table. Compromise is the result. But my theory about our current adversary varies from that premise. If the diplomat in question is not a man of faith, and by faith, I mean someone who believes in God, he will never understand this particular enemy. Our jihadist enemy is not seeking more land, more gold, or more power. He is seeking one thing: for every living human on earth to confess that Mohammed is the prophet and Islam is the only way to heaven. He will not compromise with us, or anyone, because, from his perspective, there is no compromise with God’s commandments. God has told him to convert everyone to Islam or kill him. It doesn’t matter if we believe that God said no such thing-the jihadist does believe it. No equivocation. A man, or a diplomat, who is not a man of faith will not understand that. It is not a logical or rational issue which can be negotiated. For that reason, diplomacy really doesn’t matter, because our jihadist enemy is not seeking to compromise. Even another man of faith is doomed to failure because, again in the eyes of the jihadist, the other man’s faith is misplaced. But at least another man of faith will understand the enemy, whereas someone who has no faith in God cannot.”
Wright was silent for a moment, and then spoke. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary. That’s all I have this morning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
“Are there any other questions for Secretary Austin before we begin? Hearing none, the floor is yours, Mr. Secretary.”
Speaking without notes or prepared text, Austin took a drink of water and began. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the committee, I offer my appreciation for your invitation this morning to present my thoughts on the proposal currently under review by this committee. My comments today are not in written form and are delivered to your committee ‘ in camera.’ They are not for publication, merely for consideration as you ponder the merits of this proposal. In addition, I would like to state initially that my thoughts will differ significantly from those of General Wainscott, who has recommended approval. However, I understand his position and his advocacy of this proposal. He is tasked with defending America, domestically and internationally. I cannot fault his position, but merely point out some of the inherent difficulties that would be associated with adoption of the SI proposal in its domestic application.
“Winston Churchill once said, ‘ America will always do the right thing, but only after exhausting all other options.’ I think we are once again in that position. We are sorting through the options and, hopefully, it will not take us too long, or be too late, when we finally arrive at the right decision. Another of history’s leaders, closer to home, made more succinct remarks when he addressed the military’s propensity to ‘fight the last war’ again. In 1961, President John Kennedy was preparing to establish the special operations force that became the famous Green Berets. He chastised the military leadership, reminding them that we faced ‘… another type of war, new in its intensity, ancient in its origin-war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents, assassins, war by ambush instead of combat, by infiltration instead of aggression, seeking victory by evading and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him.’
“Most military flag officers continue to prepare to fight the last war again. That is a well-known concept. The outstanding land battle victory in Iraq in 1991 and again in 2003 seemed to confirm the validity of that preparation, a fixed piece, open field army on army. However, in the latter example, we were absolutely unprepared for the insurgency that followed. That failure was uncalled for, since there was plenty of historical precedent. The French underground after German occupation, aided by the US and British Jedburgh teams. The Norwegian underground which worked with the British. They each were successful to the extent they were willing to have innocent civilians executed for their attacks.
“There isn’t an army in the world that thinks it can stand up to the USA on the traditional battlefield. But they also know that we have no defense against one man and a suitcase bomb. With that premise, let me address the merits of the proposal before this committee.
“As a career military man only recently entering the political arena, I can see much merit in the proposal before the committee, especially in light of the roving band of terrorists ravaging America at present. Indeed, had
