Day two. Quite simply, what could go wrong did go wrong. Given the choice between assuming leadership of a situation that is pure chaos, where the National Guard is forced into a position of going to war against a trapped and possibly infected citizenry, the President choses to punt. He knows what enforcing a quarantined zone will require: the massacre of tens of thousands of terrified people demanding to get out, and there is no way he’s going to have his name and legacy sullied. Suddenly a “States Rights” champion, he leaves the situation under the control of the Governor, but not before hampering the men on the lines with Rules of Engagement that are meant to sooth journalists instead of creating a possibility of victory.
Day two. Quite simply, what could go wrong did go wrong.
Given the choice between assuming leadership of a situation that is pure chaos, where the National Guard is forced into a position of going to war against a trapped and possibly infected citizenry, the President choses to punt. He knows what enforcing a quarantined zone will require: the massacre of tens of thousands of terrified people demanding to get out, and there is no way he’s going to have his name and legacy sullied.
Suddenly a “States Rights” champion, he leaves the situation under the control of the Governor, but not before hampering the men on the lines with Rules of Engagement that are meant to sooth journalists instead of creating a possibility of victory.
One that I wanted to come back to, years after having first read it. I enjoyed getting to understand the type of general-at-war mindset this book speaks of. It’s a classic for a reason.