Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Oh shut up

The Washington Post has a long and unfortunate piece today on how very hard it is to work at the White House. I know a lot of infantrymen who would love to have the soft life these people have. I think this sort of mewling is what happens when you staff the White House mainly ...

583699_090713_crybaby2.jpg
583699_090713_crybaby2.jpg

The Washington Post has a long and unfortunate piece today on how very hard it is to work at the White House.

I know a lot of infantrymen who would love to have the soft life these people have. I think this sort of mewling is what happens when you staff the White House mainly with people who think the hardest thing you can do in life is take the bar exam. No wonder Jim Jones, the national security advisor, looks so unhappy — he probably would like to grab a few lapels and tell them about his life as a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam.

I think this article in particular irks me because last night I got an e-mail from an officer who, while deploying with a group of soldiers from Mississippi to Afghanistan, was approached by a woman in a restaurant. “You going to Afghanistan?” she asked. “I had a son who deployed there.” Think on that “had.”

kaparkins/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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