Jack sheehan didn't hold his tongue. Last summer the four-star marine general was invited to a closed-door conference at the Aspen Institute, a plush think tank nestled in the Rocky Mountains. For three days academics, diplomats and government officials politely debated how to prevent conflicts in the messy post-cold-war world The general opinion: America must lead, but only when it won't cost much, in either dollars or American lives. Then it was Sheehan's turn to speak. As head of the Atlantic Command, it's his job to train troops for overseas missions, he bluntly announced, are a fantasy. "I am sorry; that can't be done. If you want the U.S. military to go abroad, it will spend your money and it will put your sons and daughters in harm's way." It was classic Sheehan: "His motto is 'Sacred cows make the best hamburger'," says an aide.
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