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As Bush Foe, Admiral's Days Were Numbered

What's truly amazing is that he held out as long as he did

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 12, 2008 7:53 PM CDT
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(Newser) – It's amazing that Adm. William Fallon held on to his job as long as he did while openly disagreeing with the Bush administration on matters of military strategy, writes John Barry in Newsweek. Fallon's continued insistence that war with Iran is a lousy idea finally led to his resignation yesterday as head of US forces in the Mideast. This month's Esquire profile of Fallon noted that "the president may have had enough."

That profile—the most direct cause of Fallon's resignation—also said of Fallon, "He's standing up to the commander in chief, who he thinks is contemplating a strategically unsound war." Defense chief Gates, who had previously fought to save Fallon's job, hedged on whether he'd spoken to Bush about the article, but he suggested it strongly when he announced Fallon's resignation.

U.S. Admiral William J Fallon, center, speaks to unidentified aides Sunday Dec. 9, 2007, at the IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) regional security summit in Manama, Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)
U.S. Admiral William J Fallon, center, speaks to unidentified aides Sunday Dec. 9, 2007, at the IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) regional security summit in Manama, Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hasan...   (Associated Press)
Adm. William Fallon, the commander of U.S. Forces in the Middle East, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2008, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the fiscal 2009 defense authorization and future defense programs. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
Adm. William Fallon, the commander of U.S. Forces in the Middle East, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2008, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the fiscal...   (Associated Press)
In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announces he has accepted the resignation of Adm. William J. Fallon as Commander of U.S. Central Command during an announcement at the Pentagon, Tuesday, March 11, 2008. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of...
In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announces he has accepted the resignation of Adm. William J. Fallon as Commander of U.S. Central Command...   (Associated Press)
President Bush shakes hands with head of the U.S. Central command, Navy Admiral William J. Fallon before a speech to coalition forces during a visit to the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. in this May 1, 2007 file photo. Defense Secretary Robert...
President Bush shakes hands with head of the U.S. Central command, Navy Admiral William J. Fallon before a speech to coalition forces during a visit to the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base...   (Associated Press)
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The Esquire article
Esquire

White House denies divisions
Guardian (UK)

Fallon's statement
Talking Points Memo

Politics • US

 
Iran • military strategy • Robert Gates • William Fallon • George W. Bush • CentCom • Esquire

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