More Cheap Calls for Better 403(b) Plans October 14, 2003February 23, 2017 CHEAP CALLS! Brad Hurley: ‘BigZoo.com has better rates than AccuLinq: 2.9 cents to call anywhere in the US (except Alaska or Hawaii) if you have a local access number. I used it, when I lived in the States, for all my long-distance calls from home and on the road. The international rates are great: I could call friends in England for 2.4 cents/minute, which is actually cheaper than the domestic rate!’ David Hood: ‘Try onesuite.com for long distance. It’s 2.5 cents per minute.’ 403(b) TRANSFERS Dave asks: ‘In The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, you mentioned that you could request your employer to pass 403b contributions through to the mutual fund family of your choice, instead of being limited to the annuity offerings from the employer. I called American Century to ask about this, and they never heard of this. They recommended that I get at least 25 fellow employees to agree and request that American Century Mutual funds be included in the employer 403b offerings. What should I do next?’ The estimable Less Antman replies, estimably: ‘American Century may not want to bother, but Fidelity, Vanguard, TIAA-CREF, and Schwab, to name a few, all accept and should understand what are known as ‘IRS revenue ruling 90-24 transfers’ of 403(b) money. If your employer permits trustee-to-trustee transfers of any kind, this should be doable. The problem is that it is in nobody’s interest to promote it, since the recipient organizations don’t get much money when it is one person at a time (I’m hardly surprised they’re asking you to get 25 employees together to request an addition). I’m guessing that TIAA-CREF is likely to be most helpful if you ask them. ‘If you’re enough of a battler to want to pursue this on your own, you might want to check out www.403bwise.com, which talks about this extensively. (I have no affiliation whatsoever with that site which, I believe, is an amateur site started by a couple of teachers.) There is even a forum on that site where some people who have successfully executed this transfer share their experiences.’
I Predict: No Mail Today October 13, 2003January 22, 2017 But there’s this: ACCULINQ Bryan Norcross: ‘Do you use AccuLinQ for your calling card? It’s great… and if you use it from home it costs 4.9 cents/min. And is super cheap for international. 7 cents or so to Russia.’ MORE MOONIES PleaseDon’tPrintMyName: ‘I once worked for a company that did a very large amount of business with the Moonies. Probably over $1 million per year. As many people know, the church maintains several ‘recreation’ camps in various parts of the U.S. North Garden, South Garden, East Garden etc. They bring church members to the Gardens for teaching various church tenets. Fishing is considered a ritual or sacrament, I’m not sure which, but there was a lot of fishing going on. One time Rev Moon invited my boss and several other men to accompany him to one of the Gardens. They came back horrified. He had one of the most foul mouths they had ever heard. He complained that our company did not provide him with enough gifts. The large fruit baskets in his room were not enough. He wanted large commercial items and kickbacks. At dinner, it was time to pray, but not to God, but to him. All prayers must be invoked in his name. His followers consider him to be their True Father, and, of course, the Messiah. No, thank you.’ MORE MARRIAGE Sam: ‘My wife’s cousin is a Catholic priest studying in Paris. I was surprised to learn from him that he was studying to be a lawyer for the church. What application of law I wondered? He was studying to assist Catholic couples that want to split up find a church-justified reason for the action.’ Ed Biebel: ‘Sadly, being a Catholic today is much like being an American abroad. I spend an awful lot of time apologizing for our leadership and telling people that if you really understand the faith and theology you’ll see that it’s just the misguided people at the top of the hierarchy. (I always think of the discussions I’ve had with my ‘penpal’ in the UK, saying all Americans aren’t like George Bush and John Ashcroft, and it really is a nice place to live. and we have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, etc.) There are many Catholic parishes that challenge the leadership on these issues. There is a parish with a gay/lesbian social group. Some Parish priests here have refused to read the diatribes from the pulpit. These priests often have the protection of a religious order (like the Jesuits and the Vicensians). (I won’t bore you with how order priests differ from diocesan priests.) There are even a few good men like my pastor who, though a diocesan priest, said publicly in the paper that the church should be welcoming. (The church replaced him because [in my opinion] he set aside money for the poor and didn’t give the diocese a cut.) It is people like my pastor who symbolize Catholicism and not the mitre-wearing bishops. We look to the role models of earlier years such as St. John Neumann (the bishop of Philadelphia in 1800s), who once arrived at a parish riding in a manure cart because it was the only transport available. This is certainly not Bernard Law. And we look to the role models of today like my parish priest, who symbolize the truth of the faith.’ SPECIAL PROSECUTOR Russell Turpin: ‘The following exchange occurred October 4, 1997, on Evans & Novak.’ JOHN ASHCROFT: The truth of the matter is that if the law’s been violated, we should be able to ascertain that. We can, if we have an independent person without a conflict of interest… ROWLAND EVANS: …The attorney general has shaved down all the allegations that Vice President Gore apparently down to one single allegation — which telephone he used to make these fundraising calls from. Do you really think that alone is worthy of a special prosecutor? ASHCROFT: …you know, a single allegation can be most worthy of a special prosecutor. If you’re abusing government property, if you’re abusing your status in office, it can be a single fact that makes the difference on that. So my own view is that there are plenty of things which should have caused [Attorney General Janet Reno], a long time ago, to appoint a special prosecutor, an independent investigator. ☞ If using the wrong phone to make fundraising calls may have violated a law written before there even were telephones – and justified a special prosecutor – how about blowing the cover of a CIA agent, endangering lives and jeopardizing national security? Nah, says Ashcroft now. Apparently that doesn’t rise to the same level.
Of Moonies and Marriage – Part 2 October 10, 2003January 22, 2017 MOONIES John Gorenfeld: ‘Thank you for your link to my article, which hasn’t gotten much notice – aside from a few bloggers who have shared my dismay at the subject. Mr. Moon, who has scammed a good number of Japanese old ladies out of their insurance claims, is now trying to convince people to unite behind him in a new, religious version of the U.N. (Oh, and if anyone tells you that ‘Moonies’ is a pejorative term, please ignore them. The group invented the term, used it widely, and now hopes that the public doesn’t make the connection between them and the group that horrified parents in the ’70s.)’ MARRIAGE: DOWN HILL SINCE 1522 ‘Marriage has universally fallen into awful disrepute.’ – Martin Luther, On the Estate of Marriage, 1522 ‘The family in its old sense is disappearing from our land, and not only our free institutions are threatened, but the very existence of our society is endangered.’ – Boston Quarterly Review, 1859 ‘Will the family, that institution which we have long regarded as the unit of civilization, the foundation of the state, survive? The Family of our father’s time is almost entirely gone. The home made by one man and one woman bound together until ‘death do us part’ has in large measure given way to trial marriage . . . The bearing of children finds less place in the conduct of this generation.’ – Chauncey J. Hawkins, Will the Home Survive?, 1907 ‘The American family has in the past generation or more, been undergoing a profound process of change . . . Some have cited facts such as the very high rates of divorce, the changes in the older sex morality, and until fairly recently the decline in birth rates, as evidence of a trend to disorganization in the absolute sense.’ – Talcott Parsons, The American Family, 1955 [My thanks to the Human Rights Campaign for unearthing these quotes.] THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON MARRIAGE Sep. 13, 2003 Catholic leaders back amendment against gay marriage By RICHARD N. OSTLING Associated Press Leaders of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops Wednesday gave “general support” to amending the U.S. Constitution in order to define marriage as a union of a man and woman. They also condemned legalized same-sex unions. RALPH AND GARY ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Ralph Sierra: ‘I would be happy to honor Katie Ferguson’s request to not criticize the Catholic Church’s teachings, if their hierarchy would stop trying to force non-Catholics to abide by their tenets.’ Gary: ‘The Catholic Church is seeking to force its morality on everyone in this country by seeking to amend the US Constitution. The Catholic Church is seeking to deny a class of citizens equal protection under the law, because it finds that class of people to be immoral. Unlike the Catholic Church I am willing to compromise however. I am willing to leave them alone if they leave me alone.’ ELLEN GOODMAN GETS THE LAST WORD Click here.
What Have These Real Estate Prices Been Smoking? October 9, 2003January 22, 2017 AL Bart: ‘As a rule, I do not purchase nor read books with screaming headline titles, but I was blown away by the Franken book! I purchased a second copy and donated it to our local San Antonio library.’ ARNOLD I would have preferred Rob Lowe. But I wish him luck. And I wish that all Republicans were pro-choice and pro-gay rights, as he seems to be. I expect Arnold will have to raise taxes to balance the budget, just as Ronald Reagan did when he became governor of California. Ellen Degeneris for President? REAL ESTATE ‘Do you have a view regarding residential properties in the suburbs of NYC (i.e. Nassau County and Westchester County), where prices have climbed over the past 5 years far in excess of national averages? Do you think there is a ‘bubble’ per se, and if so, whether prices might actually decline in the next 12-24 months? Or whether things might simply stay flat and allow household earnings to catch up?’ ☞ I think long-term interest rates will rise, as massive deficits weaken the dollar; and that when they do, higher monthly mortgage payments will make today’s home prices hard to sustain. Or else, if rates don’t rise, it could be for ‘bad’ reasons – the kind of gloomy economy that also makes high prices hard to sustain. BEFORE YOU SMOKE Stephen Gilbert: ‘Re yesterday: Our national drug policy was already bad when Bush arrived.’ ☞ I agree. YOM KIPPUR Joshua Dickner: ‘I noticed today that you published a column on Yom Kippur. I assume you are Jewish. It is a poor reflection on American Jewry today that so many continue their daily rituals without the slightest regard for the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. What does it mean to be a Jew? At the very least, even if you don’t go to temple, or take the time on this important day to reflect on your spirituality and your place in this World, as a sign of respect for your birthright, and as a statement of community with Jews around the world, you ought not to publish your column the same as any other day (and in so doing tell your wide readership that you don’t care). My father, born in Germany in the 1930’s and who lost his parents and other family members to Nazi concentration camps, would warn you that the non-observing Jews were rounded up with the same force as those who were pious. A lesson you should heed.’
Before You Inhale October 8, 2003January 22, 2017 The Harken Oil insider trading I wrote about Monday is hardly new. But back in 2000, few cared. Just as they didn’t care whether or not the candidate had been a coke head in his early years. (He refused to say, which led some to assume there was probably a reason he refused to say.) I don’t care what Bush did in his twenties and thirties, either – except to the extent that others who may have done no more are in prison today. Indeed, nearly three-quarters of a million Americans were arrested for marijuana last year – 89% for simple possession. (To see the penalties in your state, click here. In Florida, possession of 20 grams of marijuana – less than an ounce – is a felony that, according to NORML, carries a mandatory 5-year prison sentence.) Meanwhile, did you see the 60 Minutes story on Tulia, Texas, a couple of weeks ago (September 28)? Thirteen percent of the town’s adult African-American population was imprisoned for alleged cocaine trafficking . . . in amounts like $160 . . . on the basis of totally uncorroborated testimony of a single undercover agent now under investigation himself. The good news is that those who could prove they were not where the agent swore they were when they allegedly sold him cocaine were not imprisoned. And the rest of these $160 imagined drug lords, sentenced to an average of 20 years apiece, were all recently released after just three-and-a-half years. (“Never mind.”) For one account, which leaves off just shy of their release, click here. And for more, here.
Agreeing on The Legacy Vote No on the Recall, Yes on Bustamante October 7, 2003January 22, 2017 ‘Bush said he insulates himself from the ‘opinions’ that seep into news coverage by getting his news from his own aides. He said he scans headlines, but rarely reads news stories. ‘I appreciate people’s opinions, but I’m more interested in news,’ the president said. ‘And the best way to get the news is from objective sources, and the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what’s happening in the world.” –The Associated Press, September 22. ☞ Scary. Bill F: ‘OK, I promise I’ll read Al Franken’s book and keep an open mind. I think I am like a good number of Americans – I am not thrilled with Bush, but am worried about what could happen with a Dem. After all, can we agree Clinton did not leave a strong legacy?’ ☞ Clinton left us with an unprecedented budget surplus, the best economy in history, and the general respect and affection of most of the world. Perhaps it’s no surprise he left office with the highest approval rating (65% by one poll, 68% by another) in history, or at least since polls had first come to be taken. He left us with plans in place for continuing to pursue Osama Bin Laden (plans Bush was made aware of in the most urgent terms 13 days before he was inaugurated, but decided to ignore) . . . he left us with at least some reasonably constructive dialog between Israel and the Palestinians (which Bush decided, disastrously, to abandon) . . . and with Korean negotiations in place (which, again, Bush decided to abandon). Yes, the dot-com bubble had burst, and a recession may well have been brewing. (By talking it up, and by rattling the securities markets with his patently irresponsible tax cut plans, Bush may well have hastened and deepened it.) But the Clinton/Gore plan was to ‘save Social Security first,’ which was just the kind of prudent fiscal policy the financial markets would have liked. Instead of blowing the surplus on tax cuts for those who needed them least – and who would be least likely to spend them to stimulate the economy – Clinton/Gore had in mind to keep sound finances, spending prudently on things people really needed. And look at the people Clinton had in place! SEC chair Arthur Levitt – compare him with Harvey Pitt. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers – compare him (or Bob Rubin, his predecessor) with John Snow (or Paul O’Neill, his predecessor). Clinton left us with a dazzling military force (bad-mouthed by Bush during the campaign) that performed in Afghanistan and Iraq spectacularly well. To quote Vice President Cheney, ‘A commander in chief leads the military built by those who came before him. There is little he or his defense secretary can do to improve the force they have to deploy. It is all the work of previous administrations.’ Clinton left us with cleaner water and air and huge new tracts of national parkland. With enthusiasm for alternative technologies that would lead to both greater energy independence and exciting new business opportunities. He left us with after-school programs for many (since cut back) and college aid for all (since cut back) and Americorps (a Bush budget-cutting target). He left us with regulations that would have allowed FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, swiftly to defuse the mysterious ‘energy crisis’ that drained tens of billions of dollars from California to Texas – authority which, under Bush, FERC chose not to assert. He left millions of us who are gay or lesbian – and our families – with a significantly greater sense of self-worth and opportunity. He left us with years of steadily declining poverty and crime, steadily rising homeownership . . . and a general sense we were on the right track. He left us with a good balance between the haves (who were doing great) and the have-nots (who were not entirely shut out of the prosperity) . . . a balance Bush moved immediately to shift radically in favor of the haves. So, yes, while many people choose to remember only the blue dress and forget the rest (many of them, ironically, the very same people who, though deploring sexual misconduct and violence in films, will vote enthusiastically for Arnold Schwarzenneger today), I would argue that President Clinton left a terrific legacy. (And that Al Gore provided an important assist.) This is, of course, just my view. Thank you, Bill, for keeping an open mind. It is the very best kind. BEFORE YOU VOTE TODAY . . . Breaking News from the Borowitz Report COMEDIANS IN FINAL PUSH FOR ARNOLD Schwarzenegger Victory Could Mean Billions for Joke Industry In the final hours of the California gubernatorial campaign, candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger received the coveted endorsement of the Golden State’s comedians, who hope that the election of the easy-to-ridicule actor will mean billions of dollars in new revenue for California’s troubled comedy industry. And, from ‘Dan’ . . . Top ten reasons to vote against the Recall 1. It sets a bad precedent. Intended to provide a popular check on corruption, it would instead allow a process funded by one wealthy individual (Daryl Issa) to overturn the results of an election less than a year ago. 2. If successful, it will create a new era of “perpetual campaigning” as governors will need to fund-raise and be constantly vigilant about possible partisan recalls. 3. It’s un-democratic. A small plurality can elect a new governor with many fewer votes than were cast in the general election. 4. Davis, although not popular, has been a better governor than his detractors claim. He’s improved education funding, increased health insurance coverage of children through the Healthy Children’s program, and signed important domestic partnership legislation, among other positives. 5. The Recall punishes a Democratic governor for Washington’s domestic policy failures. As the L.A. Times notes (Sept 28, p. 28), state spending under Davis has not increased faster than under his Republican predecessor. But…the Bush recession has whacked state revenues. 6. The Recall, if successful, would likely replace a man who has served as Lt. Governor, Controller, Chief of Staff to a Governor and State Assemblyman and put a complex multi-billion dollar state government in the hands of a candidate (Schwarzenegger) who has never administered anything. 7. Schwarzenegger’s refusal to reveal his plans on the crucial issue–the state budget–is reminiscent of former President Nixon’s “secret plan to end the war.” He says he won’t cut education (40% of the budget), supports the “Healthy Families” program for kids’ health insurance (a large part of increased state healthcare spending) and will reduce the vehicle license fee that provides critical state revenue. It can’t add up! Voters shouldn’t reward those who won’t reveal their priorities before an election. 8. Schwarzenegger promised not to take special interest money. Now he does and makes no apologies for the about-face. 9. Schwarzenegger didn’t even have a good record as a voter in California, having missed numerous elections. Why the sudden civic interest? 10. Schwarzenegger has refused a one-on-one debate with the Governor and refused to participate in any debate in which the questions were not submitted in advance.
Sam Waksal & George Bush October 6, 2003January 22, 2017 Did you see last night’s 60 Minutes? The first segment was about Sam Waksal, who very stupidly tried to sell a tiny fraction of his holdings in Imclone on the basis of inside information and got a seven-year jail term. The second segment was promo-ed by highlighting George W. Bush, who sold his entire stake in a company called Harken Oil eight days before release of terrible financial news (of which he had to be aware, because he was not only on the board of directors but, also, on the three-man audit committee) – and I thought . . . what an interesting contrast THIS is going to make. But no, the Bush segment turned out to have nothing to do with Harken. It was about Skull & Bones. It is an interesting contrast nonetheless. Not to say the two cases are identical. Waksal compounded his problems by lying about what he had done, and was also found to have avoided New York sales tax on some large art purchases by having the art shipped out of state (and then brought back in). Few, including Waksal, would dispute he made very serious mistakes that should carry serious consequences, even if some might argue that seven years is extreme. (Mitigating circumstances? The company he founded is still going strong – this wasn’t a case of stealing from the employee pension fund, say – and the drug it has developed seems to be showing promise for certain cancer patients.) Bush seems to have put a lot more thought into his stock sale – and to have been eight months late in reporting it. He may or may not have been lying when he said the required disclosure forms had been ‘lost.’ But we know he was lying when, both as a candidate and as President, he looked into the camera and told us that ‘by far the vast majority of the help [from his proposed tax cut] goes to people at the bottom end of the economic ladder.’ This trillion-dollar lie ultimately affects the well-being of tens of millions of people, and so may be worth noting. (As may be the yellowcake from Niger.) As I have written before, Bush’s insider trading became the subject of an S.E.C. investigation that was not pursued. According to the Washington Post (July 30, 1999), ‘Bush took that as vindication. ‘The SEC fully investigated the stock deal,’ he said in October 1994. ‘I was exonerated.’ . . . [Then Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement Bruce] Hiler, however, was more cautious. His statement said it ‘must in no way be construed as indicating that the party has been exonerated . . .” How could he have been exonerated? He was on the three-man audit committee and, eight days before the release of highly adverse information, he sold $823,000 of the stock — every share he owned. Is it possible the investigation was not pursued because his father, at the time, was President of the United States? (And a fellow Skull & Bonesman?) Whatever the case, you will be relieved to know that Bush’s lawyer on this matter went on to be our ambassador to Saudi Arabia. [Note to all who will write in that this is ancient history, and we should ‘get over it,’ etc.: I largely agree. My reasons for alarm are prospective, not retrospective. I think we are doing our country grave long-term economic and social harm, and that we have lost much of the world’s trust. We need to fix that.] I’m tellin’ ya: read Al Franken’s book.
Uh, Oh — Religion October 3, 2003January 22, 2017 MARRIAGE Katie Ferguson: ‘John Stone misses the point [when he writes, Perhaps conservatives in general (and the Catholic church in particular) should worry less about gay marriages and more about straight divorces and the effects they are having on our children.] It is precisely the Catholic Church’s job (in particular) to worry about ‘moral’ issues such as gay marriage. And the Church DOES worry about the effects of straight divorce on children. Mr. Stone may disagree with some conservatives’ efforts to amend the Constitution to prohibit gay marriage (which I happen to oppose as well); political actions by a few does not justify an attack on the Catholic Church’s teachings. No one is ‘forced’ to be Catholic; if you oppose the teachings, go to church somewhere else.’ MOONIES Call me crazy, but I don’t believe that the Reverend Sun Myung Moon is the messiah. Indeed, it makes me nervous that he thinks so (he does, after all, control one of our nation’s capital’s two daily newspapers). John Gorenfeld, writing in Salon Sept. 24, 2003 | Last December, at his three-day God and World Peace event, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon drew a notable slate of political figures, from Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and, perhaps most notably, James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, who offered some respectful opening remarks to Moon’s Unification Church faithful. Moon followed, and called for all religions to come together in support of the Bush plan for faith-based initiatives. Coming from Moon that made perfect sense, because he already believes all religions will come together — under him. “The separation between religion and politics,” he has observed on many occasions, “is what Satan likes most.” His gospel: Jesus failed because he never attained worldly power. Moon will succeed, he says, by purifying our sex-corrupted culture, and that includes cleaning up gays (“dung-eating dogs,” as he calls them) and American women (“a line of prostitutes”). Jews had better repent, too. (Moon claims that the Holocaust was payback for the crucifixion of Christ: “Through the principle of indemnity, Hitler killed 6 million Jews.”) His solution is a world theocracy that will enforce proper sexual habits in order to bring about heaven on earth. What sort of proper sexual habits? According to Moon, in order to restore blood purity, very specific practices are prescribed. Sex before marriage is out of the question, and when sexual consummation does happen, it must adhere to very specific instructions. First, a photograph of Moon must be nearby, so that everything occurs under the reverend’s watchful eye. After two nights of woman-on-top sex, the couple reverse positions, whereupon the man, according to Moon, restores dominion over Eve, via the proper missionary position. Then, according to the instructions attributed to the U.C.’s American Blessed Family Department, “after the act of love, both spouses should wipe their sexual areas with the Holy Handkerchief” –referring to the church-supplied washcloth — which must “be kept individually labeled and should never be laundered or mixed up . . . “ To hear Gorenfeld interviewed on this topic, and some discussion of the support the Reverend Moon has received from the Bush camp, click here (and select the September 28 program).
Former Senator Max Cleland’s View October 2, 2003February 23, 2017 I got to know Senator Cleland in the course of the 2002 campaign and was deeply saddened when he lost. In case you have not yet seen it, I think Max’s op-ed, published yesterday, provides important food for thought. Don’t miss the author’s bio at the end. It adds important context to his comments. Working Assets’ New York Times Op-Ad Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President. Sorry you didn’t go when you had the chance. By Max Cleland The president of the United States decides to go to war against a nation led by a brutal dictator supported by one-party rule. That dictator has made war on his neighbors. The president decides this is a threat to the United States. In his campaign for president he gives no indication of wanting to go to war. In fact, he decries the overextension of American military might and says other nations must do more. However, unbeknownst to the American public, the president’s own Pentagon advisers have already cooked up a plan to go to war. All they are looking for is an excuse. Based on faulty intelligence, cherry-picked information is fed to Congress and the American people. The president goes on national television to make the case for war, using as part of the rationale an incident that never happened. Congress buys the bait — hook, line and sinker — and passes a resolution giving the president the authority to use “all necessary means” to prosecute the war. The war is started with an air and ground attack. Initially there is optimism. The president says we are winning. The cocky, self-assured secretary of defense says we are winning. As a matter of fact, the secretary of defense promises the troops will be home soon. However, the truth on the ground that the soldiers face in the war is different than the political policy that sent them there. They face increased opposition from a determined enemy. They are surprised by terrorist attacks, village assassinations, increasing casualties and growing anti-American sentiment. They find themselves bogged down in a guerrilla land war, unable to move forward and unable to disengage because there are no allies to turn the war over to. There is no plan B. There is no exit strategy. Military morale declines. The president’s popularity sinks and the American people are increasingly frustrated by the cost of blood and treasure poured into a never-ending war. Sound familiar? It does to me. The president was Lyndon Johnson. The cocky, self-assured secretary of defense was Robert McNamara. The congressional resolution was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. The war was the war that I, U.S. Sens. John Kerry, Chuck Hagel and John McCain and 3 1/2 million other Americans of our generation were caught up in. It was the scene of America’s longest war. It was also the locale of the most frustrating outcome of any war this nation has ever fought. Unfortunately, the people who drove the engine to get into the war in Iraq never served in Vietnam. Not the president. Not the vice president. Not the secretary of defense. Not the deputy secretary of defense. Too bad. They could have learned some lessons: * Don’t underestimate the enemy. The enemy always has one option you cannot control. He always has the option to die. This is especially true if you are dealing with true believers and guerillas fighting for their version of reality, whether political or religious. They are what Tom Friedman of The New York Times calls the “non-deterrables.” If those non-deterrables are already in their country, they will be able to wait you out until you go home. * If the enemy adopts a “hit-and-run” strategy designed to inflict maximum casualties on you, you may win every battle, but (as Walter Lippman once said about Vietnam) you can’t win the war. * If you adopt a strategy of not just pre-emptive strike but also pre-emptive war, you own the aftermath. You better plan for it. You better have an exit strategy because you cannot stay there indefinitely unless you make it the 51st state. If you do stay an extended period of time, you then become an occupier, not a liberator. That feeds the enemy against you. * If you adopt the strategy of pre-emptive war, your intelligence must be not just “darn good,” as the president has said; it must be “bulletproof,” as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claimed the administration’s was against Saddam Hussein. Anything short of that saps credibility. * If you want to know what is really going on in the war, ask the troops on the ground, not the policy-makers in Washington. * In a democracy, instead of truth being the first casualty in war, it should be the first cause of war. It is the only way the Congress and the American people can cope with getting through it. As credibility is strained, support for the war and support for the troops go downhill. Continued loss of credibility drains troop morale, the media become more suspicious, the public becomes more incredulous and Congress is reduced to hearings and investigations. Instead of learning the lessons of Vietnam, where all of the above happened, the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense and the deputy secretary of defense have gotten this country into a disaster in the desert. They attacked a country that had not attacked us. They did so on intelligence that was faulty, misrepresented and highly questionable. A key piece of that intelligence was an outright lie that the White House put into the president’s State of the Union speech. These officials have overextended the American military, including the National Guard and the Reserve, and have expanded the U.S. Army to the breaking point. A quarter of a million troops are committed to the Iraq war theater, most of them bogged down in Baghdad. Morale is declining and casualties continue to increase. In addition to the human cost, the war in dollars costs $1 billion a week, adding to the additional burden of an already depressed economy. The president has declared “major combat over” and sent a message to every terrorist, “Bring them on.” As a result, he has lost more people in his war than his father did in his and there is no end in sight. Military commanders are left with extended tours of duty for servicemen and women who were told long ago they were going home. We are keeping American forces on the ground, where they have become sitting ducks in a shooting gallery for every terrorist in the Middle East. Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President. Sorry you didn’t go when you had the chance. Former U.S. Senator Max Cleland volunteered for duty in Vietnam where he lost both of his legs and his right arm in a grenade explosion. He headed the Veterans Administration in the Carter administration and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. In 2002, Cleland lost his bid for reelection when his[Republican] opponent ran attack ads that questioned his patriotism and featured photos of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. He has received numerous awards for his bravery and service including the military’s Silver Star for Gallantry in Action. When the Reserve Officers’ Association named Cleland its “Minute Man of the Year” for his work in the Senate, he joined past Presidents Bush, Reagan and Ford in receiving the association’s highest honor. Currently, Max Cleland is a distinguished adjunct professor at American University’s Washington Semester Program. © 2003 Working Assets. All rights reserved.