This is a very good read, folks.

The Wall Street Journal refused to publish this letter written by Jim
Nalepa...

Rick
Colorado
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BRAINS ARE NOT ISSUED WITH RANK

As a West Point graduate, I can assure that we took our military history
seriously.

Most graduates remember the lessons of "The History of the Military Art"
others have obviously forgotten.


Most Americans would not recall the significance of the date, April 9th as
they watched the statue of Saddam Hussein topple in Baghdad and his
Ambassador to the United Nations declare "The game is over". One hundred and
thirty eight years ago, on April the 9th,1865 at Appomattox Courthouse,
Robert E Lee, West Point Class of 1829, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant,
West Point Class of 1843 to end the bloodiest war in our nations history,
the Civil War.

There are significant historical lessons to be derived in contrasting
Operation Iraqi Freedom and our own Civil War as well as a comparison of
West Point generals in both. The motto of the United States Military Academy
is "Duty, Honor, and Country." Unfortunately, a few generals (all West Point
graduates) have become "armchair analysts" for whom it seems their motto
could be "Demagoguery, Hubris, and Contempt."

More specifically, I speak of General Eric Shinseki, the irrelevant Army
Chief of Staff (West Point 1965); General (ret.) Barry McCaffrey, former
Clinton Drug Czar (West Point 1964); and General (ret.)Wesley Clark (West
Point 1966), former NATO Commander and aspiring Democrat Party presidential
or vice presidential nominee. All of these men, through public pontification
dammed the strategy of this war. General Shinseki called for hundreds of
thousands more troops to get the job done. General McCaffrey, only four days
into active general combat, wrote a contemptuous article on these pages
predicting doom and a protracted conflict. General Wesley Clark joined in
the anti-American chorus on CNN to question, erroneously, why supply lines
had stretched so thin?

Why all this wailing and teeth gnashing from men who heretofore proved
themselves valiant in combat as junior officers in Viet Nam and the first
Gulf War? The George McClellan syndrome fits all too well. Gen. George B.
McClellan (West Point 1846), commanded the Union Army in the early days of
the Civil War. A pompous man, who held Abraham Lincoln in utter contempt,
built an army of well over 150,000 men and embarked on a campaign to capture
Richmond and bring a swift end to the southern rebellion. To historians,
this is known as the Peninsular Campaign, one of the greatest failures in
the annals of American military history. Faced by a confederate force of
barely 40,000 soldiers, McClellan hesitated, begged for more troops, worried
about long supply lines and basically attacked piecemeal until he deluded
himself into believing that the rebels held superior numbers on the field of
battle. Had McClellan, with a vastly superior force, struck decisively
toward Richmond, (as we did at Baghdad), the Civil War conceivably would
have been brought to a swift conclusion, saving millions of lives, both
soldiers and civilians. McClellan, after being relieved of command and sent
on his way, eventually became the Democrat Party nominee for President in
1864 and was soundly defeated by Lincoln.

Generals Clark, McCaffrey and Shinseki are nothing more than the heirs of
the McClellan legacy, political generals, who have forgotten our motto for
their own self aggrandizement. Where were these three when their patron,
Bill Clinton, decimated the U.S. Army in the 1990's, almost halving our
forces for the sake of the phony "peace dividend."? This unilateral
disarmament gave our enemies hope and portrayed us as both militarily and
politically weak. Why weren't their voices heard as brave men (Black Hawk
Down) were sacrificed in Somalia because Clinton and his Secretary of
Defense, Les Aspin, wouldn't authorize the use of armor forces which the
field commanders earnestly had sought? As we know now that our failure in
Somalia was the impetus for Bin Laden's "9-11" attack.

Simple, these three were being politically correct, behaving as the military
hating administration told them to, and putting on their second, third and
fourth stars. Some basic questions to each of them: General McCaffrey, how
did the last "war" you fought, the war on drugs, go on your watch? General
Shinseki, isn't it great to know that all you will be remembered for is
giving the army black berets made in France? General Clark, will continued
political correctness really get you the Democrat party nomination for
President or even Vice President? If not you could succeed Chirac in France.

The conduct of these men while our troops are under fire is nothing more
than reprehensible and, fortunately, stands in stark contrast to General
Franks, who conceived and now commands what by any measure has been a
brilliant Iraqi campaign.

While not a West Point graduate, General Franks is surrounded by graduates
of the military academy, who have loyally supported him and the Iraqi
Freedom campaign from day one. Men such as LTG John Abizaid (West
Point1973); Gen. Frank's chief deputy, Col. David Perkins, Commander of the
2nd Brigade, Third Infantry Division, the first unit into Baghdad (West
Point 1980); and Capt. James Adamouski (West Point 1995), killed in combat.
When this great victory is finally assessed, those are the men who are the
heirs of Grant, Patton and Schwarzkopf. As to the modern McClellan's? Just
like the Iraqi regime, it's the dust bin of history for them.

Jim Nalepa

(If you need to verify this letter, Jim can be reached at jim@...)

Mr. Nalepa is a 1978 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West
Point.

During active service he was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, Third Infantry
Division, in Germany and the 82nd Airborne Division. He is a veteran of the
Grenada Rescue mission in 1983.

Mr. Nalepa, who runs an exclusive Executive Search firm, is a frequent guest
on military and foreign affairs in the Chicago area, with many appearances
on the highly rated WTTW program "Chicago Tonight"