[lit-ideas] Re: The US Army in mutiny?
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:24:54 EDT
Perpetually wading through old mail -- and it seems the "New"(s) is old
before you wake up. But the thread on Rummy prompted me to ask what the
literati
here think of the changes in Rove's role .... and the rather loudly touted
"shake ups" in the upper echelon of the West Wing in general.
Julie Krueger
whose personal life has definitely interfered with global awareness this week
========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: The US Army in
mutiny? Date: 4/15/06 6:57:10 P.M. Central Daylight Time From:
_robert.paul@xxxxxxxxx (mailto:robert.paul@xxxxxxxx) To:
_lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on:
Eric Yost wrote:
> For all anyone knows, an unfavorable opinion of Rumsfeld is
> what certain vengeful lobbyists hope to install in the public...get
> Rummy out, put a new guy in, and bring the Crusader Mobile Howitzer back
> to costly life.
Isn't possibility great? It contains multitudes. With the strange excuse
that 'for all anyone knowsâcertain vengeful lobbyists' are now trying to
get Rummy because they (these unnamed Furies) want to revive the
Crusader mobile howitzer program, Eric decides to cut Rummy a break. By
parity of reasoning, for all anyone knows, Rumsfeld has written a sequel
to War and Peace, which will soon be published by Heisenberg House,
under the pseudonym Georges Clemenshovich. Hey, there's no evidence that
it hasn't happened.
There is though evidence, contrary to what Eric assumes, that the
Military Industrial complex isn't behind the complaints of the Generals
who have now come forward: their concerns seem directly focused on the
conduct of the War in Iraq. None of them has called for Ãberweapons;
none for more expensive toys.
Here's a brief account of what they've said lately.
Major General Paul D. Eaton (Army, commanded training of Iraqi security
forces until 2004):
âFirst, his failure to build coalitions with our allies, what he
dismissively called âOld Europeâ has imposed far greater demands and
risks on our soldiers than necessary. Second, he alienated his allies in
our own military, ignoring the advice of seasoned officers and denying
subordinates any chance for input.â
General Anthony C. Zinni (Marines, former head of United States Central
Command):
âWe are paying the price for the lack of credible planning, or the lack
of a planâ
"Ten years worth of planning were thrown away, troop levels dismissed
out of handâ
"These were not tactical mistakes. These were mistakes of policy made
back here. Donât blame the troops.â
Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold (Marines, director of operations,
Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2000 to 2002):
âMy sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was
done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of
those who have never had to execute these missions.
âThe troops in the Middle East have performed their duty. Now we need
people in Washington who can construct a unified strategy worthy of them.â
Major General John Batiste (Army, former commander, First Infantry
Division in Iraq):
âI think he should step; aside and let someone step in who can be more
realistic.
âI think we need a fresh start. We need leadership up there that
respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And
that leadership needs to understand teamwork.â
Major General John Riggs (Army, former director, Objective Task Force):
âThey only need (sic) the military advice when it satisfies their
agenda. I think thatâs a mistake and thatâs why he should resign.â
(I grant that Major Riggs' complaint isn't especially telling, but at
least he went on record.)
Robert Paul
The Reed Institute
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
