Good Order and Discipline?

Good Order and Discipline?

General Longhouser

General Ralston

Friday, June 6th, 1997 -- When I first heard that General Joe Ralston, the leading White House candidate for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had an adulterous affair, I thought his chances were uselessly dashed, particularly on the heels of the Kelly Flinn and General Longhouser affairs (pardon the pun).

Boy! Was I wrong!

Here's Defense Secretary William Cohen, painfully splitting hairs to explain why the Ralston adultery was "okay" while the Flinn and Longhouser adulteries weren't.

Frankly, if it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

Now, I have nothing against General Ralston. From what I've read, he's a great guy, a leader even. He had his tryst when separated from his wife. But Kelly Flinn wasn't married when she had her affair, so her adultery was kind of "once removed." Sure, she had an affair with a married man, but he was a rogue anyway, allegedly cheating wherever he could. What about General Longhouser, who "retired" under a similar sexual scandal? Even more on point.

And, to make matters worse, we have some new buzz words:

"Good Order and Discipline."

Watch for these words as a title for a made-for-television movie about military sexual conduct. It's a winner.

Secretary Cohen said, "I am satisfied that General Ralston's conduct was neither prejudicial to good order and discipline, nor discrediting to the armed forces." The Pentagon spokesman used this term -- good order and discipline -- at least four times during a press conference to explain hypocrisy at its highest form.

General Ralston, conveniently traveling in Kazakhstan, said through his taxpayer-paid flack that he was thankful for support from Cohen, Shalikashvili, his family and others in recent days. "I take full responsibility for my conduct some years ago and have worked diligently to learn from my mistakes. Our armed forces are composed of human beings that strive to meet the highest standards every day, but I am acutely aware of human strengths and human frailties.''

I bet Kelly Flinn and General Longhouser would have also taken full responsibility for their conduct if they had only been allowed to keep their well-earned jobs -- let alone be elevated to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. They might have even worked diligently to learn from their mistakes.

The suggestion that Lt. Flinn's conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline is ridiculous -- not even worth an explanation.

The Pentagon is taking great pains to stress what a liar Lt. Flinn was. But it turns out that General Ralston may too have lied about facts surrounding his own human frailty.

Pay attention, Secretary Cohen: you had the chance to intervene for Kelly Flinn, General Longhouser and General Ralston. The same words you used during the past few days could have been applied equally to all three.

You blew it.

Now General Ralston is crippled is the eyes of the average American, Kelly Flinn is off somewhere trying to find her way and General Longhouser's career is ruined. You're running a regular Peyton Place, Secretary Cohen.

Fix it.