What is this
about? - Some countries
make military personnel swear allegience to the ruling
monarch -
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is extremely
frustrated with orders that the White
House is contemplating. According to sources at the Pentagon,
including all branches of the armed forces, the Obama Administration may break
with a centuries-old tradition.
A spokesman for General James
Cartwright, the Vice
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, states that the Obama Administration wants to have soldiers and officers
pledge a loyalty oath directly
to the office of the
President, and no longer to the Constitution.
“The oath to
the Constitution is as old as the document itself.” the spokesman said, “At no
time in American history, not even in the Civil War, did the oath change or the
subject of the oath differ. It has always been to the Constitution.”
The
back-and-forth between the White House and the Defense Department was expected
as President George W. Bush
left office. President Obama has already signed orders to close Guantanamo and
to pull combat troops from Iraq. But, this, say many at the Defense Department,
goes too far.
“Technically, we can’t talk
about it before it becomes official policy.” the spokesman continued. “However,
the Defense Department, including the Secretary, will not take this laying down.
Expect a fight from the bureaucracy and the brass.”
Sources at the White
House had a different point of view. In a circular distributed by White
House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the rationale for the change was made
more clear.
“The President feels that the military has been too
indoctrinated by the old harbingers of hate: nationalism, racism, and classism.
By removing an oath to the American society, the soldiers are less likely to
commit atrocities like those at Abu Ghraib.”
“We expect a lot of flak
over this,” ! the classified memo continues. “But those that would be most
against it are those looking either for attention or control.”
The time
frame for the changes are unknown. However, it is more likely that the changes
will be made around the July 4th holiday, in order to dampen any potential
backlash. The difference in the oath will actually only be slight. The main
differences will be the new phrasing. It is expected that the oath to the
Constitution will be entirely phased out within two years.