There are many traditions in the United States military, not all of them good. But most are good for the military. One of the sad but honorable traditions includes resignation. And taking responsibility.
Sometimes an officer resigns--that is, takes responsibility--for something he never approved nor witnessed. It happens all the time: Some sergeant makes a serious mistake down the line, and captains, colonels, and generals all lose their jobs. It's called accountability. It's not always fair, but it works.
And not, to quote "Candide," because it's good to hang an admiral once in a while to encourage the others. But because those in charge should be answerable for their outfits.
In the wake of the Capitol Building riots this past week, the president has an in-box full of resignations. Those are just Cabinet members and advisers. The real sad but honorable resignations happened a few blocks away, where several top police officers resigned their positions Thursday and Friday.
The U.S. Capitol Police chief resigned. The sergeant-at-arms of the Senate resigned. The sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives resigned.
The papers report that three days before President Trump asked a rally to march on Congress--and many members of the crowd did--the Pentagon asked the Capitol Police if it needed extra help in the coming days. (It was no secret, on social media, that things might get ugly during/after the president's rally.) And even as the mob was walking toward the Capitol, the FBI offered help. According to officials, the Capitol Police turned down both offers.
The Capitol Police had prepped for just another demonstration. And were overwhelmed.
Five people died.
The vice president of the United States and the speaker of the United States House of Representatives--both in immediate line in the presidential succession chain--were put at risk.
And the nation was embarrassed internationally.
Which security person refused which offer isn't clear. And it is possible that none of those who resigned turned down any offer of help. It is certain that the real blame goes much further up the chain of command. But the resignations were given, and accepted, just the same.
As the riots were unfolding before our eyes Wednesday, a friend mentioned: Can you imagine what would have happened if this were a group of armed terrorists intent on death and destruction, perhaps armed with more than guns? Or what if this was a uniformed enemy force?
The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., should be one of the most secure places on Earth. Accessible to the people, yes, but secure. And there should always be contingency plans for everything. Including an attack from Mars.
If the Martians landed in the National Mall, then there should be an operations order in a desk somewhere at Capitol Police HQ about how to defend against them. Instead, after weeks of warning, the Capitol Police were caught flat-footed.
Somebody in the paper said that, as tragic as the handful of deaths were, the country is fortunate the toll wasn't much higher. Now the Capitol Police have to learn from this week's mistakes, and prepare better for future riots/sieges/insurrections. And do it with new leadership.
The resignations are sad but honorable. There was little else honorable in Wednesday's violence.