The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : In Honor of Al Haig

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Yesterday I attended the very impressive funeral for former Secretary of State, former NATO Supreme Commander, former White House Chief of Staff Al Haig -- and only wish I could have made the burial at Arlington, to which I had intended to go, but I was feeling under the weather. One of the two eulogists was former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, whose precise and well-chosen words made clear just what a patriot, a public servant, and a man of integrity Haig was. Of course a real Who's Who of American leaders paid their respects, from Defense Secretary Bob Gates to former UN Ambassador John Bolton, former Sec. of State Colin Powell, former Attorney General Ed Meese, and (I believe -- I thought I saw from a distance) former Sen. Paul Laxalt, who was President Reagan's closest friend in Congress.

Reaganites grumble that Haig wasn't sufficiently on board with Reagan's strategy that worked to take down the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and others complain that he was too supportive of the Chinese military after Tiananmen Square. Yet those issues should not hide Haig's tremendous service and heroism throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s. He served on MacArthur's staff in Korea, left high staff jobs to take a command in Vietnam where his heroism and leadership were legendary, and then joined Kissinger's National Security Council staff at the White House, where he took on all the toughest assignments and did them well. And, of course, when he became chief of staff during Watergate, it is widely believed that Haig kept the White House and the government running without further disaster even as President Nixon, by some accounts, pretty much fell apart.

President Ford sent Haig to NATO, where he performed admirably at a crucial time period. And when he retired in 1979, he gave speeches all over the country that year and in 1980 that helped bolster the case for American military strength even as Jimmy Carter fumbled and cowered. I have a photo of Haig from the 1980 GOP National Convention in Detroit, at a forum where he sounded a clarion call on behalf of our armed forces that mightily impressed my 16-year-old self.

Al Haig was an American original. A brave man, a talented man, and a good one. May he rest in God's peace, and joy.

View all comments (10) | Leave a comment

J. Davis| 3.3.10 @ 6:56PM

Very well said Quin.

Richard Baker| 3.3.10 @ 7:02PM

Rest in Peace GEN Haig.

JP| 3.3.10 @ 7:25PM

Few officers were fortunate enough to have a military career that saw service to people of McArthur, Kissenger, and Nixon's stature. From a simple adjunct to White House Chief of Staff, to NATO commander to Secretary of State, Haig saw it all. He was a true patriot. His passing is the passing of a generation.

RIP

Alan Brooks| 3.4.10 @ 8:50AM

Such a silly conspiracy theory deal was made over his 'takeover' after the Hinckley shooting.

Oliver Stone had a screenplay concocted, just in case:
"March '81", starring Jack Lemmon as Haig.

RCB| 3.4.10 @ 9:33AM

A patriot, a soldier, and a Catholic gentleman.
We need more like him.

Red Phillips| 3.4.10 @ 12:56PM

“The notion that the United States can remake the world in its own image, on its own, as a reaction to violence from abroad dates from Woodrow Wilson’s time. It’s an old populist con detached from reality; calling it a neo-con doesn’t make it any better. Does anyone believe that the United States can turn Afghanistan and Iraq into thriving democracies; reconcile India and Pakistan; transform the Middle East and do it all with a 10-division army and a $500 billion deficit?”
~ General Alexander Haig

Janie| 3.4.10 @ 1:22PM

Self-serving prig, you could learn something about courtesy.

RIP General Haig.

mzk| 3.4.10 @ 1:21PM

He explained it in his books. Weinberger was new, put the military on unspecified alert after Reagan was shot. Haig was concerned the U.S.S.R. would think this was some sort of plot, and since they knew him, appeared publicly to reassure them that someone they trusted was, well, in charge.

He was speaking to the U.S.S.R., not really to us. And, as a good soldier, he was ready to look silly if it would keep the country safe.

Oh, would it hurt to mention he was a great friend to Israel (like Reagan - unlike Weinberger and Baker)?

Andrew| 3.5.10 @ 12:06AM

Haig was a character, and a very good one too. RIP.

Byrdseye| 3.13.10 @ 9:33PM

Much has been made of Gen. Haig's comments "I am in charge here."

I was a college junior watching him on television. I never felt more comfortable that all was well. A West Point graduate and General of the U.S. Army was at the helm. What was there to worry about?

Gen. Haig was a soldier, statesman, and patriot both in and out of uniform. Thank you General for your service to the nation.