A Very Good Pick by the President : Brash Bobby Inman will replace Aspin

President Clinton has moved swiftly and with sure political instincts to fill the vacancy that will be left by Defense Secretary Les Aspin’s sudden resignation, naming retired Adm. Bobby Ray Inman to the Cabinet post. It is a first-rate choice that bodes new strength, experience and decisiveness for the Administration’s often criticized national security team.

Inman, who is expected to be confirmed quickly by the Senate, will become only the second career military officer to head the Pentagon, Gen. George C. Marshall having briefly held that post in 1950 during the Administration of Harry S. Truman. Marshall, the architect of Allied victory in World War II, became a public servant of uniquely towering prestige.

Inman has won widespread respect for his intellect, his managerial skills and the breadth of his experience both in and out of uniform.

His stints during President Jimmy Carter’s Administration as head of the National Security Agency--which, broadly, gathers and decodes electronic intelligence worldwide--and then as second in command at the Central Intelligence Agency early in Ronald Reagan’s presidency are indicative of the bipartisan trust he has earned. The basis for that trust was not diminished when Inman quietly resigned from the CIA because of his disagreements with some of the more extreme policies embraced by his boss, the late William Casey. Subsequently, Inman, 62, served for nearly two years as chairman of President George Bush’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

When he was introduced by Clinton at the White House Thursday, Inman made a point of noting that he had voted for Bush’s reelection last year and, further, that he had not sought the defense secretary’s post. Count those signs of independence another plus for Clinton. Here clearly was a case where he sought out the best person for the job without regard to previous political loyalty. Clinton promised during his campaign a Cabinet that would be representative of all America. Bringing in a supporter of the man he defeated for the presidency helps redeem that pledge.

It goes without saying that all of Inman’s manifold talents will be needed as the Pentagon seeks to confront a new era of problems and challenges. He can probably make no greater contribution than moving swiftly to pin down just what global missions a defense Establishment that has been much reduced in size and punch can responsibly and effectively be asked to undertake. Having defined that, he must then ensure that the armed services have what they need to do their jobs.