Capitulation on Gen. Pace-Cui Bono?

In yesterday's post, I speculated that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) is a big winner in the backroom scuttling of the career of Marine general Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senator Clinton's colleague on the Armed Services Committee, Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI), successfully intimidated Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Pres. George W. Bush-probably by threatening to put a hold on this and other confirmations. Gates dropped support for General Pace's two-year renomination and substituted Adm. Mike Mullen as his choice. More...