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Rumsfeld Needs to Go: Retired Generals Tell Congress
Peace and Freedom ^ | September 26, 2006 | John E. Carey

Posted on 09/25/2006 6:38:12 PM PDT by John Carey

Three retired U.S. Army Officers address a congressional committee on the war in Iraq in starkly harsh words Monday.

“I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the administration did not tell the American people the truth for fear of losing support for the war in Iraq,” retired Maj. Gen. John R. S. Batiste told a forum conducted by Senate Democrats.

A second military leader, also a retired two-star general, Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, assessed Rumsfeld as “incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically.”

A third officer, retired Col. Paul X. Hammes, joined Batiste and Eaton in testimony before the Democratic Policy Committee of the U.S. Senate. The unusual location was chosen, Democrats said, because the Republican leadership in the Senate has not permitted thorough oversight of the war in Iraq from the Senate Armed Services Committee. Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said majority Republicans had failed to conduct hearings on the issue, adding, “if they won’t … we will.”

All three officers who testified served in Iraq, and Batiste also was senior military assistant to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.

Batiste, who commanded the Army’s 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, also blamed Congress for failing to ask “the tough questions.”

He said Rumsfeld at one point threatened to fire the next person who mentioned the need for a postwar plan in Iraq.

“Mr. Rumsfeld and his immediate team must be replaced or we will see two more years of extraordinarily bad decision-making,” General Eaton said.

(Excerpt) Read more at johnib.wordpress.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: dncpropaganda; pimpmyblog; rumsfeld; ssdd
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To: rlmorel


No need to excerpt one's own blog unless said blogger is soliciting hits.


21 posted on 09/25/2006 6:46:16 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: onyx

Looks like chruchillstuff has a new girl friend.


22 posted on 09/25/2006 6:46:17 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: jveritas
Who ever came up with the phrase "armed chair Generals" is a genius. This article illustrates this very well.

The guy who was commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq is an armchair general? I'm sure he'd be amused by that description.

The general who was the senior military advisor to Wolfowitz wasn't exactly out of the loop, either.

Did you read the article, or do you just disagree with it because it is bad news?

23 posted on 09/25/2006 6:46:47 PM PDT by Steel Wolf (As Ibn Warraq said, "There are moderate Muslims but there is no moderate Islam.")
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To: John Carey

How many active Generals are there...have any of them stepped forward...and inactive. I bet there is close to 1,000 current and former generals. So they three or four to say Rummy should go? My, aren't they brave.


24 posted on 09/25/2006 6:47:02 PM PDT by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: CWOJackson


Amazing isn't it? Do these agenda driven idiots ever consider that we just might know that a handful of generals can be found to support any given view at any given time?


25 posted on 09/25/2006 6:47:43 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: lexington minuteman 1775
"I bet there is close to 1,000 current and former generals."

Make that 10,000 active duty and retired flag officers...Tony Snow brought this up the last time there was a "revolt of the generals"....it was a whopping 8 that time.

26 posted on 09/25/2006 6:48:26 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: roses of sharon

Yep, and from a blogger soliciting hits --- no need to excerpt his own column.


27 posted on 09/25/2006 6:49:04 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: John Carey

A dog-and-pony show but on by Senate Democrats. These former generals should have more professional pride than to act like such political whores.


28 posted on 09/25/2006 6:49:20 PM PDT by popdonnelly
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To: jveritas
Especially when these arm-chairs are sitting with Keith Olberman!

Hilarious and obvious.
29 posted on 09/25/2006 6:49:23 PM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: onyx

When you can only get three generals out of 10,000 living current and past flag officers your point is pretty weak.


30 posted on 09/25/2006 6:49:29 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson


LOL! You're a baaaaaaad boy.


31 posted on 09/25/2006 6:49:40 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: onyx; John Carey
You are starting to remind me of churchillbuff."""

JC, onyx just complimented you!

32 posted on 09/25/2006 6:50:14 PM PDT by churchillbuff
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To: CWOJackson

Weak is an understatement. How about pathetic?


33 posted on 09/25/2006 6:50:45 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: churchillbuff


You sure about that?
LOL


34 posted on 09/25/2006 6:51:23 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: John Carey
It appears that any one that attempts to reform the bloated and inefficient beraucracy of the pentagon is going to encounter a stiff head wind.

Go Rummy Go

35 posted on 09/25/2006 6:51:41 PM PDT by Pietro
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To: John Carey

Hullo? John???? Mr. Carey? anyone home? Whassup?


Working for the Chinese?


36 posted on 09/25/2006 6:53:08 PM PDT by eleni121 ('Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!' (Julian the Apostate))
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To: John Carey

These retired military men and their Democrat handlers need to shut up. Can anyone imagine this happening in the course of a past war?


37 posted on 09/25/2006 6:53:09 PM PDT by popdonnelly
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To: onyx
I remember when FR used to plot against the enemy, now its like wading thru NYT.
38 posted on 09/25/2006 6:53:47 PM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: John Carey

Among the 3 of them they've only got 4 stars.

And it wasn't before "congress." It was before a democratic group called so they could get a headline that said, "retired generals before congress."

Democratic Campaign committee working overtime to create news.


39 posted on 09/25/2006 6:54:10 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it! Supporting our troops means praying for them to WIN!)
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To: popdonnelly
"Can anyone imagine this happening in the course of a past war?"

Kerry - Vietnam (but he wasn't a general...just a presidential wannabe).

40 posted on 09/25/2006 6:54:48 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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