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As I have posted here many times before ..."Rumsfeld is Wrong". Rumsfeld is wrong on so many levels and for so many reasons. The knee - jerk typical response is that anyone who says anything against Rumsfeld is a Clinton loving appointed General or a liberal lover ..... both are also wrong.

General Wayne A Downing resigned from the Bush Administration right before the 4th of July 2002. I have served under General Downing and can safely say I'd still follow him into hell. He resigned as we were taught how to resign .... quietly. He now heads the CTC at West Point.

There are many VERY serious problems that have failed to have been properly addressed. These aren't Clinton's problems, they are now America's problems that have not been solved by Rumsfeld or Bush.

Here is just one example (there are many):

The President's declared National Emergency ends this September. What is Rumsfeld's plan after September that DOES NOT involve the National Guard? Does he even have a plan?

I know the plan is to just continue extending the national emergency .... and that proves my point.

He (General Downing) resigned as we were taught how to resign .... quietly.

I agree with you on that one. Every time I have seen him speak it is on something like what the military will do next and how best to accomplish the task. He doesn't appear to be grinding a political axe as so many others.

Men that reach the ranks of Generals and Admirals know that the time to express dissent is before hand, if your viewpoint isn't the one agreed upon and action commences, you get in the boat and row with the rest of the team or you quietly retire.

General Downing and the others dissenting publicly may ultimately be proven correct, however, public dissent during the crisis does nothing but increase casualties and costs. Another thought along this same line is that these men held true to this unwritten boat-rowing law of warfare. Until the war was over that is! Now all the ranting and raving is for mere political gain. Just a thought mind you.

I think the worst mis-judgement made by Rumsfeld and the rest of the administration was expecting to be greeted as liberators by a grateful and peaceful Iraqi population. That lead to a series of decisions which prolonged the war.

On another point; I don't think Shinseki was marginalized. He retired early because he knew a war was coming and he didn't want the Chiefs to have to deal with a change of Chairman in the middle of it.