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Letter to the editor

In magazine, CentCom chief opposes military action in Iran

The article suggests Adm. William Fallon might resign.

By Washington Post
Published March 6, 2008

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East is the subject of a glowing magazine article describing him as the only person who might stop the Bush administration from going to war against Iran.

Esquire's forthcoming profile of Adm. William Fallon portrays the chief of the U.S. Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, as "brazenly challenging" President Bush on Iran, pushing back "against what he saw as an ill-advised action."

Written by Thomas Barnett, a former professor at the Naval War College, the article in the magazine's April issue predicts that if Fallon leaves his position at CentCom, "it may well mean that the president and vice president intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don't want a commander standing in their way."

The article is written in an admiring fashion, praising Fallon as "a man of strategic brilliance" whose understanding of the tumultuous situation in Pakistan "is far more complex than anyone else's."

Asked about the article Wednesday, Fallon called it "poison pen stuff" that is "really disrespectful and ugly." He did not cite specific objections.

Barnett said he had not heard from Fallon about the article.

The White House declined to comment, but administration insiders said the article was being discussed there Wednesday. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said, "Secretary (of Defense Robert) Gates has read the profile on Adm. Fallon but chooses not to comment on it or other press accounts."

Fallon clearly cooperated with Barnett for the article, with the author accompanying the CentCom chief on trips to Egypt and Afghanistan over the past year.

[Last modified March 6, 2008, 00:59:45]