{"id":21344,"date":"2013-02-08T02:06:07","date_gmt":"2013-02-08T05:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=21344"},"modified":"2016-11-26T01:52:39","modified_gmt":"2016-11-26T04:52:39","slug":"weinstein-admits-error-endorses-caslen-for-west-point-supe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/08\/weinstein-admits-error-endorses-caslen-for-west-point-supe\/","title":{"rendered":"Weinstein Admits Error, “Endorses” Caslen for West Point Supe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contrary to a prior prediction that Michael Weinstein would seethe at the thought of LtGen Robert Caslen taking the helm as Superintendent<\/a> of West Point, it seems Weinstein has chosen to do the complete opposite<\/em>:<\/p>\n

I am pleased to announce that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation fully endorses the United States Senate’s confirmation of the President’s nomination of Lt. General Robert Caslen to the position of Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If only it were that simple.\u00a0 The “endorsement<\/a>” (cross-posted<\/a>) is a veritable portrait in self-contradiction and capriciousness.\u00a0 Weinstein says he is “pleased,” but later says he has “non-trivial trepidation” — yet also “wishes him well.”\u00a0 Demonstrating both his repetitive redundancy and intellectual inconsistency, Weinstein says he has no idea what Caslen will “actually do,” but “he incontrovertibly deserves and merits [sic<\/em>] the chance to do it.”<\/p>\n

During\u00a0Gen Caslen’s involvement in the Christian Embassy controversy<\/a> in 2006, Weinstein said those involved in the scandal were equivalent to al Qaida<\/a>, Iraqi militant Muqtada al Sadr, and deserved to be court-martialed<\/a>.\u00a0 Two years later, Weinstein essentially accused Gen Caslen of fomenting insurrection<\/a> at the hands of a Christian army, and said the Army was promoting “fundamentalist Christianity” by promoting Gen Caslen.<\/p>\n

Now, a little less than 5 years later, Weinstein has decided not merely to be indifferent <\/em>to Gen Caslen’s nomination, but to support<\/em> it.<\/p>\n

What could possibly change his mind so far and so fast?\u00a0 Weinstein explains:<\/p>\n

Shortly after the announcement of Caslen’s nomination, I began reaching out to MRFF clients and supporters who have been working closely with Lt. Gen. Caslen in the “post-Christian Embassy” era and especially during his current deployment…His current service, including but not limited to constantly mediating the perpetual powder keg of relations between the Kurds and the central Iraqi government, is viewed universally as absolutely exemplary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So while 30 years <\/em>of exemplary service wasn’t good enough in 2006, Weinstein is now satisfied by one\u00a0<\/em>— from the reassurances of a few of his allies about how Gen Caslen is performing his duties in Iraq.\u00a0 Note Weinstein says\u00a0nothing about his prior complaints about Gen Caslen and his religious beliefs in his turnabout.\u00a0 It seems the only thing you need to get on Weinstein’s good side is a couple of “he’s good peeps” from his friends.<\/p>\n

So much for principle or intellectual consistency.<\/p>\n

Notably, within Weinstein’s 1,800-word “endorsement” he nowhere mentions his prior characterizations of Gen Caslen or his demands for\u00a0court-martial.\u00a0 The obvious omission is that, in the extremely unlikely event Weinstein had actually gotten his way, Gen Caslen would almost surely have never survived to become the Superintendent of West Point — an appointment Weinstein now endorses.<\/p>\n

In other words, Weinstein’s thesaurus-rich monologue is a thickly-veiled admission that he was wrong<\/em>.<\/p>\n

That was probably unintentional, however, and it is unlikely Weinstein will soon refrain from his all-too-common demand<\/a> that\u00a0members of the military be court-martialed<\/a> for, well, just about anything<\/a>.\u00a0 In this case, Weinstein is probably simply being a realist:\u00a0 He knows Gen Caslen’s confirmation is essentially a given (Weinstein calls it “likely”), so rather than tilting against that particular windmill, he’s tried instead to define the rules of the game.\u00a0 To wit, he set up fictional goal posts for Gen Caslen to meet, riffing off the recent publicity stunt-resignation of an MRFF “client.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Weinstein has already prepared the field for Gen Caslen, so he can claim Gen Caslen either failed or surrendered to Weinstein’s indomitable influence over the US military.\u00a0 It’s win-win for Weinstein, which is how he likes it.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, just as he did at USAFA, Weinstein needs to build the bridge<\/a> before he burns it<\/a>.\u00a0 As he did with Gen Gould, Weinstein will likely try to ingratiate himself to Gen Caslen.\u00a0 Then, if his manners haven’t improved, Weinstein will wear out his welcome and show up in the press demanding Gen Caslen’s court-martial, all over again.<\/p>\n

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