Huffpost Politics   Bill McGowan Headshot  The Al Haig
Communication Lesson  Posted: Updated:  If you ever doubted the
damage one ill-advised and poorly-executed public statement can
make, just read some of Alexander Haig's recent obits. Years
ago, Ronald Reagan's former advisor Lyn Nofziger predicted that
the third paragraph of Haig's obituary one day would detail the
"I am in control here" communications blunder that forever
tainted Haig's image as a leader. Nofziger was prescient, but in
last week's coverage, the now-famous faux pas frequently
dominated paragraphs one and two as well.  So how could a man
who rose to the rank of Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and
received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart set himself up to
have his public image so badly ambushed? Like most blunders
committed in front of a live microphone it came down to what he
said, and how he said it. With Ronald Reagan hospitalized
following an assassination attempt, Haig ironically broke the
cardinal rule every military man is taug