[cwb]

I watched a replay yesterday from the hearings held earlier in the week when 3 of the top Generals were being questioned by these Senators. As Boxer, Clinton, etc read quotes taken from the NY Times and Wash. Post, Sanchez flatly denied any of these accusations...under oath.

If he's lying, he's in big trouble...but his testimony was pretty believable as he and the other Generals were adamant that so many of these stories in the press are just plain wrong.

Heck, I thought England already admitted that no one ordered them to do these things, and that many of them were just passing the time away by being crude and obnoxious...while another admitted it was in retaliation for what was done to Lynch.

[gandalftb]

The recent high-level, short notice trip to Baghdad by Myers and Rumsfeld was not just a PR, pump up the troops visit. Flying together in the mobile command post, very odd. I think Sanchez's job is on the line and they wanted to confer with Abizaid about it out of country and away from their blabbing staffs in DC.

Sanchez dropped the ball in many ways and has also not done well in running the tactical operation in country. He does not get along with his Division commanders or with 1MEF/Marines.

[gandalftb]

Sanchez has consistently failed to stay on top of operational details that he could be getting briefed on but doesn't choose to. He wants to be too bureaucratic and political, a big picture guy and not hands on enough.

I agree, he's going to get relieved as soon as this settles down. His status was the driver for reorganizing the command into two parts, a diplomatic way of taking tactical control away from Sanchez.