Hibernation

Hibernation


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Friday, September 10, 2004

"For the military officers in the Navy, the message is clear: If you fail, you're fired... Who is accountable? Who should be fired? Should it be Sanchez? Abizaid? Myers? Wolfowitz? Rumsfeld? The president? The buck has to stop somewhere."

-- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy commenting on the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal


Kennedy is right on several levels, but the only one I want to comment on is the tradition of accountability in the Navy.

It was drilled mercilessly into my pointly little head that while you could delegate authority, you could never delegate responsibility. Yes, the Captain of a ship was despot of his floating kingdom, but he was also responsible for every action of every man at all times. The Captain could be asleep when the ship runs aground and he will still take the hit.

Of course, I saw flag officers allowed to shuffle off to retirement in "disgrace" more than once, but I also saw them courts-martialed.