THE NATION

When the Military (Ret.) Marches to Its Own Drummer

By STEVEN LEE MYERS

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- It is a singular aspect of military life that men and women in uniform give up some of their basic rights as American citizens, starting with those protected by the First Amendment. The Uniform Code of Military Justice makes it a crime to criticize superior officers and prohibits troops from uttering "contemptuous words" against civilian leaders -- say, members of Congress, the secretary of defense, or the president.
Those restrictions, by law and by policy, extend to expressing political opinions, a bar meant to keep the military independent of partisan maneuvering in national security matters.

Those restraints are lifted when an officer retires. But even so, the recent announcement that a group of military veterans -- including senior officers who until recently served under President Clinton -- had endorsed Gov. George W. Bush is raising concerns inside and outside the Pentagon about the growing politicization of the ranks.

The nation's military, especially its brass, has a long tradition of maintaining at least the appearance of being apolitical. While Gen. Douglas MacArthur may have openly defied President Harry S. Truman over how aggressively to confront the Chinese during the Korean War, and even flirted with the idea of running for office while still in uniform, others were famous for staying clear of the political fray. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's political views were so opaque that both Democrats and Republicans courted him after he stepped down, and Gen. George C. Marshall reflected a widely held sentiment within the military when he claimed he never even voted while in uniform.

That has not stopped politicians of both parties from embracing those in uniform and tailoring messages to appeal to them and to veterans, a far more sizable voting group. They often take their campaigns to organizations that support the military, like the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, solicit veterans' endorsements, and use veterans to bolster their own stature. Gen. Colin L. Powell, who retired after serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993, is a fixture of Mr. Bush's presidential campaign (though, like Eisenhower, he was also once courted by the Democrats). In 1992, President Clinton eagerly accepted the support of Adm. William J. Crowe, another former chairman, at a time when his campaign was dogged by questions over the steps he took to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War.

To many current and retired officers, the recent endorsement by Veterans for Bush- Cheney -- a group organized by Gen. Charles C. Krulak, who retired as commandant of the Marine Corps last year -- seemed to cross the apolitical line. The retirees were acting collectively, they noted, and some had retired only weeks before, including Adm. Jay L. Johnson, the former chief of naval operations, and Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, the marine who served as commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf until August. Such officers, retired or not, they say, embody the institutions they served.

For those reasons, they said, the endorsements gave the impression -- one certainly welcomed by the Bush campaign -- that it was the military itself, not simply a handful of veterans, that supported Mr. Bush's candidacy.

"It casts a shadow back into the institution," said Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who retired from the Army earlier this year after serving as supreme commander of NATO. "You have junior people still in the service who value what these people say."

Those in the service are already more open about their political affiliations. The military is by nature a conservative organization, but for many years, a majority of officers identified themselves as independent. Last year, a survey by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, a nonprofit foundation in North Carolina, found that among junior and midlevel officers, 64 percent called themselves Republicans, while 8 percent said they were Democrats.

The danger critics see is that the growing evidence of a more partisan rank and file -- despite the Pentagon's policy, reiterated each election year, that prohibits any partisan activity -- could undercut support for the military across the political spectrum.
"I really believe it is a disservice if senior military officers, even if retired, get drawn into the political process," said Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs (who has, however, advised the Gore campaign). "It is unhealthy for the military, which works best, I think, when we do not become openly politicized." "Our institution," he added, "is different than a labor union or something else."

Some also warn that the willingness of retired officers to endorse political parties could prompt future presidents to select appointees to senior commands based on their political views rather than their military experience.

"We don't want to be picking our general officers based on their perceived party affiliation," said General Clark. "In other countries they do that. In Germany, general officers are known to be affiliated with one political party or another. That is not the American way."

General Clark, now an investment banker in New York, said he had been courted for an endorsement, though he refused to say whether the overture had come from the Bush camp or Vice President Al Gore's campaign, or both. He said he had declined.
"I'm nonpartisan," General Clark said. "Military people should be valued for their expertise, not their endorsements."

General Krulak and others who signed on to the Bush campaign have strongly defended their right to endorse the Texas governor, a point that is not contested by their critics, who simply warn that so many four-star officers backing a candidate, openly and in concert, undermined the military's carefully cultivated apoliticism.

"I take exception to the idea that a retired general doesn't have the right to express his opinion, as some have alleged," one senior officer, still serving in the Pentagon, said last week. "On the other hand, I am not one who is a big believer in forming groups of retired four-stars who start lobbying or campaigning. We have a great institution that's highly respected by the American people, and one of the reasons is we are apolitical, and we have worked for 200 years to stay that way."