Compare and contrast
I had not blogged about Deputy Undersectrtary of Defense for Intelligence [and Lieutenant General] Jerry Boykin’s controversial remarks about Islam and the tepid administration response, mostly because I was distracted by Mahathir Mohammed’s controversial remarks. [Ahem, some conservatives are arguing that the administration is turning on Boykin–ed. He’s still got his position, and on the ...
I had not blogged about Deputy Undersectrtary of Defense for Intelligence [and Lieutenant General] Jerry Boykin's controversial remarks about Islam and the tepid administration response, mostly because I was distracted by Mahathir Mohammed's controversial remarks. [Ahem, some conservatives are arguing that the administration is turning on Boykin--ed. He's still got his position, and on the whole the response has been lacksadaisical despite the attention his remarks received in the Middle East]. In contrast, consider this example from Germany, as reported in the Chicago Tribune:
I had not blogged about Deputy Undersectrtary of Defense for Intelligence [and Lieutenant General] Jerry Boykin’s controversial remarks about Islam and the tepid administration response, mostly because I was distracted by Mahathir Mohammed’s controversial remarks. [Ahem, some conservatives are arguing that the administration is turning on Boykin–ed. He’s still got his position, and on the whole the response has been lacksadaisical despite the attention his remarks received in the Middle East]. In contrast, consider this example from Germany, as reported in the Chicago Tribune:
The German Defense Ministry fired a respected army general Tuesday for praising a conservative politician under criminal investigation for remarks that were widely regarded as anti-Semitic. Defense Minister Peter Struck dismissed Brig. Gen. Reinhard Guenzel over a letter the general allegedly sent last month to Christian Democrat lawmaker Martin Hohmann, who in a recent speech compared Jews in the 1917 Russian revolution to Nazis. The remarks ignited a political uproar as this nation once again confronted its Nazi past and debated questions over how sensitive today’s Germans should be in criticizing Jews. In his letter, Guenzel thanked Hohmann for “an extraordinary speech with the courage to say the truth which has become rare in our country.” He added: “You can be sure that you exactly express the feelings of a majority of our people. I hope you don’t let yourself be shaken by the accusations mainly from the left-wing camp.”
Now, both Boykin and Guenzel are perfectly entitled to hold the views they hold. However, I agree with Eugene Volokh and Phil Carter that someone holding a position of their rank could and should have been — at a minimum — reassigned for what he said, because it substantially interfered with the government’s mission. They seem to recognize that fact in Germany. I’m starting to wonder what one has to say in the Bush administration before disciplinary action is taken. UPDATE: The comments below take up some religious questions about the theological origins of the God of monotheistic religions. Of course, now I discover that Yahweh and Allah have their own blogs. Go check them out. WARNING — SENSE OF HUMOR REQUIRED.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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