The L/MSM and the
are DEEPLY Saddened!
Posted on 04/17/2006 4:41:30 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2006 – Recent criticism voiced by a half dozen retired generals over Iraq war planning does not reflect the mainstream views of the officer corps, a senior Defense Department official told Pentagon reporters today. "There are a handful of officers that have exercised their right to speak their mind, and certainly that's their right to do that," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
Brushing aside a reporter's suggestion there's widespread disagreement among senior officers over Iraq war planning, Whitman said there are thousands of active duty, reserve component and retired general officers from all of the armed services.
Over the past few weeks, several retired general officers have publicly criticized Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's leadership style while calling for the secretary's resignation over alleged planning mistakes for the post-war period in Iraq.
President Bush publicly praised the defense secretary through a special statement issued from Camp David, Md., on April 14. Rumsfeld's "energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period," Bush wrote in his statement.
The United States is experiencing a historic and challenging time, Bush said, noting that the Defense Department has been tasked with a multitude of difficult missions since the start of the global war against terrorism. DoD is simultaneously transforming itself to better confront 21st-century threats, the president wrote.
"I have seen first-hand how Don relies upon our military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how to best complete these missions," Bush wrote in the statement.
And yesterday a former senior officer weighed in with his support. "One of the things about Secretary Rumsfeld and working for him is you have tremendous access and you can present your arguments," retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers recalled yesterday during a television appearance on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
The U.S. Constitution specifies civilian control of the military, Myers said. The defense secretary and the U.S. president, the military's commander in chief, personify that control.
"The commander in chief makes the decision, the secretary of defense makes the decision, and we live by those decisions," Myers said.
The retired chairman dismissed critics that say he and the Joint Chiefs failed to stand up to Rumsfeld and the president during Iraq war planning sessions.
"We gave him our best military advice, and I think that's what we're obligated to do," Myers said. "If we don't do that, we should be shot."
The L/MSM and the
are DEEPLY Saddened!
Retired officers wanting to attack Iran are not too widespread either.
The was not widespread criticism in the military when Clinton was President either. Is either case because of discipline or just lack of anything to be critical of?
Disgruntled Employees!!
Their comments should have been discredited initially by anyone with common sense. That's why they got so much air time - lack of common sense in the drive-by media.
Under BJC they were afraid of being Fostered I guess now it's only the FKSs (Former Kerry Supporters) jacking their jaws.
Are you intimating that they'd been passed over for promotion to a level befitting of their ego so many times that they have a stiff neck from the breeze? LOL!!
What could be big news however is what poster Starwise is working on right now.
Posted on our Sunday t.v. thread yesterday at #737 you will find a report about 24 Clintonista generals who had their fill of Bubba and literally retired en masse!In true clintonista fashion the story was covered up and the names announced a little at a time so as not to arouse suspicion. But the worst part of the story is that the generals were all threatened with losing their pensions if they dared go to the press.
Starwise is still working on the story and it should be a doozy when finalized.
As a sometime AF officer, I suspect most ex-officers regard the whole thing as the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible. Civilians have no idea how little respect the average midgrade officer has for his superiors.
Oh! You mean the Prefumed Pampered Princes at the Puzzle Palace known as the Pentagon!
If these generals were sincere, and their criticisms were constructive, we would never have heard much about them if at all. They would have been communicated privately and discreetly. The way it was done, they look like a bunch of spoiled teenagers who can't accept their own shortcomings and therefore want to bring others down to their level.
To quote lines from a Marx Bro's movie
Sir! Sir! The Generals are Revolting
Groucho: They certainly are!
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