Former Air Force general favors Kerry
by Adam Goldstein
The Metropolitan
Bradley Wakoff / The Metropolitan
Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill A. McPeak speaks with The
Metropolitan after his speech Wednesday, Sept. 29 at The Daily Grind in
the Tivoli.
With less than a month remaining before the presidential election, Gen.
Merrill A. McPeak (Ret.) campaigned for Kerry at the Auraria campus Wednesday,
Sept. 29.
The retired general and former Air Force chief of staff spoke to Metro
political science students on issues ranging from the war in Iraq and
the possibility of a revived draft to the importance of the 9/11 Commission.
McPeak, who has served as military adviser to the secretary of defense,
National Security Council, and the president, offered his perspective
on the current U.S. involvement in Iraq and the continuing violence throughout
the country.
McPeak said he sees the mounting violence and bolder insurgency in the
country as an indicator of a new, deadly progression in the conflict.
“I’m concerned that the insurgency has entered a new phase,”
he said. “When you start getting gunshot wounds, (the insurgents)
are standing and fighting. We’re in that phase now where we notice
more and more of the wounds, and more and more of our combat deaths are
from gunshots.”
McPeak, a Vietnam veteran, emphasized the global implications of the
war on terror and the importance of convincing other countries to send
troops to Iraq. He conceded that persuading other nations to send military
support would be difficult with Kerry in office, but that a change of
leadership is a vital first step.
“It’s impossible without a change of administration,”
he said. “Everybody understands that we have to cooperate in order
to get a handle on this...both Bush and Kerry say that’s what needs
to be done. But, I can tell the difference between who could actually
do this and who has no hope of ever doing it. The only way we run to daylight
here is to hand Kerry the ball.”
McPeak supported Bush in 2000, but voiced criticism over the president’s
handling of the war on terror and the war in Iraq. He endorsed Kerry for
president this summer.
McPeak’s discussion of foreign policy was especially pertinent at
a time when U.S. military forces are strained.
Nathan Pitman, a Metro political science/English major and co-president
of the Democrats of Auraria, attended McPeak’s lecture and found
the retired general’s message especially relevant for college students.
“This does concern young people,” Pitman said. “While
there may not be a draft, there is a possibility that it may happen. When
there are college students dying, who’s to say it won’t be
someone you know?”
Amy Eckert, a political science instructor and sponsor of McPeak’s
visit, saw a similar connection to young voters in the issues of national
security and foreign policy.
“Young people have a special stake in (national security), because
there has been, actually, legislation proposed to (reinstate) the draft,”
she said. “This is going to affect young people in the future, if
it doesn’t already.”
McPeak took specific aim at the current administration’s policies
and how he sees they negatively impact young voters. This critique included
the growing deficit and the administration’s environmental policy,
which McPeak described as an “attack.”
In addition, McPeak included civil liberties on the list of issues significant
to the younger generation.
“I spent the better part of 40 years in uniform, and one of the
principle reasons was to protect the civil liberties that we enjoy in
this country. I believe that this administration has tried to undermine,
in an evil way, these very civil liberties that this country is supposed
to stand for, and that’s another way in which they’ve cheated
successive generations.”
McPeak said neither candidate would be perfect as president, and both
Kerry and Bush are likely to err.
“I know John Kerry; I’ve met him, I’ve talked with
him, I’ve spent a lot of time with him one-on-one. He makes the
kind of mistakes I can live with. (Bush) hasn’t touched anything
that’s gotten better as a result of his involvement.”
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