Retired US generals, diplomats criticize Bush Middle East policy

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A group of former diplomats and retired generals called on President George W. Bush to open negotiations with Iran, warning that the use of military force would have catastrophic consequences for the region.

The open letter signed by 21 former senior officials comes amid growing criticism of US refusal to deal directly with Iran and Syria despite crises in Iraq and Lebanon.

"As former military leaders and foreign policy officials, we call on the Bush administration to engage immediately in direct talks with the government of Iran without preconditions to help resolve the current crisis in the Middle East and settle differences over the Iranian nuclear program," the letter said.

"We strongly caution against any consideration of the use of military force against Iran. The current crises must be resolved through diplomacy, not military action," it said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usmideastiransyria

[PurityOfEssence]

1. From the bushies: we're the grownups; we know what we're doing

Shut up, okay?

[babylonsister]

2. I've read about this letter a couple of times, but no media whores

reported on it, and I haven't seen it anywhere.


http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usgens164853034aug16,0,6035192.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print

Letter to take Mideast policies to task
LOS ANGELES TIMES

August 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - In an effort to counter a mounting White House campaign to depict its Middle East policies as critical to the nation's safety from terrorist attacks, 21 former generals, diplomats and national security officials will release an open letter tomorrow arguing that the Bush administration's "hard line" has undermined U.S. security.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, one of the signers of the letter and a former military assistant to Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in the 1960s, said the group was particularly concerned about administration policies toward Iran, believing them to be a possible prelude to a military attack on suspected nuclear sites in that country.

Gard said the letter's signers - who will include retired Marine Corps Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, head of U.S. Central Command from 1991 to 1994, and Morton H. Halperin, a senior State Department and National Security Council official in the Clinton administration - do not believe Iran has the wherewithal to build a nuclear weapon in the near term and will push the administration to open negotiations with Tehran on the issue.

Organizers of the letter-writing campaign said the White House's stepped-up efforts to belittle Democrats for seeking a timetable for withdrawing troops in Iraq may lead the signers to expand the letter to include criticism of the administration's Iraq policy. The letter is expected to call for a complete overhaul of U.S. policy toward both Iran and Iraq.

[hatrack]

6. Hey! Stop interrupting Ramseypalooza!

Why do you hate America, anyway?

:sarcasm:

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Seems like every other month a bunch of retired generals &

ambassadors writes another one of these letters or takes out a full-page NYT ad attacking the latest Bush ourtage in the ME. It never does any good.

[Mojorabbit]

7. Does anyone have a list of the groups who

have put out statements?

[Jackpine Radical]

12. VIPS would be one.

Veteran Intelligence Professionals or something like that. Ray McGovern their spokesperson?

[unkachuck]

4. talking to Iran....

....only makes sense if you want to defuse a Middle East crisis....bushco wants war....but pretext and timing needs to be right....

[KittyWampus]

5. Girly-Men.

Guess this won't get much play on Fox.

[babylonsister]

8. OK, I googled. Where is this letter? nt

[donkeyotay]

14. This one? I don't have a link yet

Open letter from 21 former generals, diplomats and national security officials of the United States argues that the administration's "hard line" in Iran has undermined U.S. security. Included are Army Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph P. Hoar and Morton H. Halperin. Gard commented that, "It's not a crisis...To call the Iranian situation a 'crisis' connotes you have to do something right now, like bomb them." Source: Peter Speigel. "Group Says Iran Is 'Not a Crisis'." Los Angeles Times. August 16, 2006.

Here it is:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-generals16aug16,0,4801670.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel

[young_at_heart]

9. So MANY have spoken out, but is anyone listening?

Maybe they could all band together before it's too late.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Do we know who signed this one?

[Eurobabe]

11. Yeah, inquiring minds want to know...

[donkeyotay]

13. "The only beneficiaries of this chaos are Iran, Hezbollah,

Al-Qaeda and the Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr and the Bush Administration" ok, I added the last one.