Colonel Hackworth has lost it!

self

[steplock]

"An army of many who can't cut it: Hackworth says hold off on war while soft troops toughen up" says a older post here.

On Sean Hannity, col hackworth has basically just said that if we cannot guarantee 100% NO casulaties, we are wrong in going to war????

He agrees the chemical suits are 100% better than the lst gulf war, but they are too hot and bulky - the troops don't have anyplace to change (?????) - Iraq is hot - he is demanding a suit that is virtually weightless, built in airconditioning, limitless gas & chemical filtration system --- this does not exist and cannot exist at our level of science (We have DUMBED-DOWN our schools & students so they can't create these).

Col Hackworth - it is time for you to retire. I am afraid that you are suffering from some debilitating mental disease.

And I LOVED Col Hack! not bad for an army officer.

[jimt]

He never made it past Colonel.

Getting past O-6, bird colonel, virtually requires that you be a politician more than a soldier. I knew some mighty fine commanders (and soldiers) who would never make it past O-6 because they were merely highly competent, courageous and showed true leadership. It's possible for one to sneak into the exalted ranks, but there's a whole lot of butt-kissers at that level.

Not, of course, saying anything about Hackworth as I don't know the man. But I did see a lot of generals, and have a relatively low opinion of them.

[LibWhacker]

Hard to earn a star when you haven't been to either West Point or OCS. In fact, not many OCS grads ever get one. Unofficially, slots for generals seem to be reserved almost exclusively for West Point graduates. Can't remember the last time someone who earned a battlefield commission went on to become a general. I still like Hack, but as another poster said, he seems to be in it for the self-promotion and that definitely hurts his credibility (not that he doesn't have any left, by any means).

[The KG9 Kid]

"... he is demanding a suit that is virtually weightless, built in airconditioning, limitless gas & chemical filtration system --- this does not exist and cannot exist at our level of science (We have DUMBED-DOWN our schools & students so they can't create these)."

This is exactly what we need.

We can design and build it in America, too.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... He never made it past Colonel."

Amazing for someone who started out as an enlisted man.

[SierraWasp]

Now THAT is a GREAT tagline!!!

[KC_Conspirator]

BTW, I love Ermey's new show on the History Channel.

[timestax]

What is his "message"? To me it seems like just his self-promotion. 4 posted on 02/17/2003 12:59 PM PST by montag813 [

That's what I think too!

[Maigrey]

Sorry. Any time there is a use of military, there will be consequences and casulties. This is the price of war.....

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Seems like I read some place where "Colonel Kurtz" in "Apocalypse Now", the gung-ho Green Beret who loses it in Viet Nam and goes over to the dark side was not so loosely based on the real life character of Hackworth. My contacts in the SF circles tell me that Hack is definitely not well thought of or spoken of in those circles. Can someone confirm or deny the Kurtz-Hack association?

[r9etb]

I used to like him, too.

I, too, used to like him -- primarily because he was an anti-Clinton voice. But then I actually started comparing his words against the reality. Nothing is ever nearly as bad as his "sources" tell him it is. Which tells me that a) Hackworth is playing to a niche market, and b) his "sources" are made up primarily of whiners and gripers who can never acknowledge that perhaps somebody besides them has a clue.

(And Hackworth's sanctimonious voice grates on my nerves, too. I don't trust guys whose normal tone of voice is a whine.)

After the Hannity segment today, a guy with an actual Army chemical background (which Hackworthless manifestly does not have) politely suggested that Hackworth was all wet. The suits are certainly uncomfortable, but they work. Moreover, he stated that Hackworth's claim that there's "no preparation" for a chemical attack was incorrect.

THis is usually the case with a Hackworth claim -- it spins up his base market of Buchanan voters, but it's not worth much more than that.

[r9etb]

Maybe he sees the war for what it is -- an unnecessary and unjust war to liberate Iraq's oil and doesn't want to see American sons and daughter die to support Wall Street. I like Hack.

You supported Pat Buchanan, didn't you?

[PISANO]

I find it amazing that Col. Hackworth would say that any war must be casualty free. This is completely out of character and must be a sign for some ulterior motive or goal. It makes no sense coming from a man of his experience and stature!

[Omegaman 308]

The Officer nominated to lead the Iranian hostage task force was Major General James B.Vaught.It was not one persons fault ,more like a calamity of errors.There is a good book on the rescue mission titled ,The Iranian Rescue Mission Why It failed,By Paul b. Ryan.

[r9etb]

I find it amazing that Col. Hackworth would say that any war must be casualty free. This is completely out of character and must be a sign for some ulterior motive or goal. It makes no sense coming from a man of his experience and stature!

Follow the money. Hackworth serves the niche market of reflexive anti-authority types (e.g., Buchananites). He has to make things look bad so that those people will still read his stuff. In the case of Iraq, he's got very little to work with, so he has to use anything he can get.

[sinclair]

“Maybe he sees the war for what it is -- an unnecessary and unjust war to liberate Iraq's oil and doesn't want to see American sons and daughter die to support Wall Street. “

Why wouldn’t we want to support Wall Street? Wall street represents “Capitalism”, the economic system that made the United States of America the most prosperous nation ever to exist on this planet. The economic system that makes it possible for this nation to lead the rest of the world in humanitarian aid and assistance. The economic system that causes millions to risk life and limb trying to gain access to. The economic system that allows our poor class to rival most of the rest of the worlds middle class? What pray tell would you consider worth fighting and dying for? Socialism? Communism? Fascism? Theocracy? All of these exist but few would risk their lives to be a part of unless they are ignorant of the truth.

[r9etb]

It was not one persons fault ,more like a calamity of errors.

Fed by a lack of understanding at the highest levels that one can't simply toss together a complicated attack on the spur of the moment, covered by a shroud of secrecy.

[cyncooper]

Maybe he sees the war for what it is -- an unnecessary and unjust war to liberate Iraq's oil

Please spell out exactly how this scheme would work.

It is not enough to fling baseless accusations. So spell it out.

[LibWhacker]

You're thinking of Col. Charles Beckwith, creator of Delta Force, and recommended by the Joint Chiefs to lead the Desert One rescue mission.

[Natural Law]

Don't be too hard on Hack. He paid his dues, did you?

Hack is trying to do two things at the same time, be the voice of the grunt and maintain a media presence. He is acting no differently than he did when he was pulling the nose hairs of the Pentagon Brass during Vietnam. His positions may seem a little extreme, but at least he has you talking about them.