U.S. generals call for Democratic takeover

[kskiska]

Disgusted with the leadership of the Iraq war, two retired generals say the GOP must go. Plus: More than 100 current military personnel join a campaign to get the U.S. out of Iraq -- now.

By Mark Benjamin

Oct. 25, 2006 | Two retired senior Army generals, who served in Iraq and previously voted Republican, are now openly endorsing a Democratic takeover of Congress. The generals, and an active-duty senior military official, told Salon in separate interviews that they believe a Democratic victory will help reverse course from what they consider to be a disastrous Bush administration policy in Iraq. The two retired generals, Maj. Gen. John Batiste and Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, first openly criticized the handling of the war last spring, when they called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"The best thing that can happen right now is for one or both of our houses to go Democratic so we can have some oversight," Batiste, who led the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, told Salon. Batiste describes himself as a "lifelong Republican." But now, he said, "It is time for a change."

Eaton, who was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004, agrees that Democratic control of Congress could be the best way to wrest control from the Bush administration and steer the United States away from a gravely flawed strategy in Iraq. "The way out that I see is to hand the House and the Senate to the Democrats and get this thing turned around," Eaton explained, adding that such sentiment is growing among retired and active-duty military leaders. "Most of us see two more years of the same if the Republicans stay in power," he said. He also noted, "You could not have tortured me enough to vote for Mr. Kerry or Mr. Gore, but I'm not at all thrilled with who I did vote for."

An active-duty senior military official who also served in Iraq said that, among a surprising number of his otherwise "very conservative" colleagues, there is hope that Democrats will gain control of Congress. "I will tell you, in the circles I talk to, the only way to enable or enact change is to change the leadership," he said.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2006/10/25/generals/

[babylonsister]

1. Leadership change is the key; when active duty people start

complaining, time is up, time to get out.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Holy Shit...

I knew this was coming.

Listen to this...

"and steer the United States away from a gravely flawed strategy in Iraq"

Gee, ya think?

We shouldn't be there in the first place and everyone knows that except for the flying monkey right.

People, we live in an extra stupid country... will even this convince them that we are all on life support right now and the Monkey is doing everything he can to pull the plug?

These men are Patriots, how long before Rush is questioning their loyalty to their country and Hannity is spewing his bile about how they should honor their commander in chief?

I hate what we have become.

[marmar]

4. "I hate what we have become."

You and me both. :cry:

[feistydem]

3. No one in Iraq would have been tortured if Kerry or Gore were president.

In fact, we wouldn't be trying to turn it around in Iraq either. That active-duty senior military officer is a dumbass. He voted for an AWOL chickenshit instead of a Vietnam vet.

[Amonester]

5. "You could not have tortured me enough to vote for (????)

"You could not have tortured me enough to vote for Mr. Kerry or Mr. Gore, but I'm not at all thrilled with who I did vote for."

Does that mean he opposes the torture bill?

And, what if voting for Mr. Gore would have prevented the PNAC's evilish wet dream of a New Pearl Harbor from even happening (Why? Because President Gore would have successfully worked on all the specific warnings the ** mis-administration willfully IGNORED so ** and his corrupt cronies could fly away on vacation at the taxpayers's expense without issuing a single warning to anyone else...).

Oh! And President Gore wouldn't have LIED to commit any war crimes, like king ** did to avenge poppy by screwing up the planet, in order to enrich darth chenious and his big oil CEOs, again at the expense of the "remaining" taxpayers's grandchildren and the non-absolutely necessary sacrifices of THEIR Service personel's non-last resort slaughters and maimings for the rest of their lifetimes. :grr:

So, NOW these brainwashed morans want a Democratic Congress to try to clean up the horrible mess THEY voted for...(?!?!)

Wow... That is very...rich, isn't it? (Welcome anyway...)
Maybe someone showed them **'s "Fool me once..." tapes?

[sandnsea]

6. Despite following the Kerry strategy now

The idiot still considers it torture to vote for the one who has always had it right. :crazy:

THAT is what we've got to do something about, that attitude is based on nothing but 25 years of right wing lies.

[Don1]

7. There is a problem here...

"...a Democratic victory will help reverse course from what they consider to be a disastrous Bush administration policy in Iraq."

"The two retired generals, Maj. Gen. John Batiste and Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, first openly criticized the handling of the war last spring, when they called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld." emphasis added...

"...steer the United States away from a gravely flawed strategy in Iraq"

"He railed against the Bush administration's head-in-the-sand approach to the war."

"The military leaders also say that Democrats might be willing to put up the massive infusion of cash they believe will be required to fix a military stretched thin, and to permanently increase the size of the Army. In July 2005, Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Sen. Hillary Clinton introduced a bill that would boost the Army by 100,000 soldiers."

They are not endorsing reversing the course on occupation, just fresh ideas on how to 'win' the war. This means that they will support pro-war Democrats like Lieberman.

[IWantAChange]

8. Absolute power corrupts absolutely

the neocons have it and what they did to obtain it will cause them to do anything to keep it. The Generals, the Joint Chiefs themselves calling Iraq a disaster wont change anything until the American public stands up and says enough is enough. I only hope it isn't too late.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEJmcvTzYfo&mode=related&search=

[civildisoBDence]

9. Sounds like the beginning of a mutiny

starring George DUHbya Bush as Captain Blight.

Newsprism

[vastman]

10. This should be a main democratic commercial in these final days!!!

Hi. found this forum by googling for this article after hearing about it on the Randi Rhodes show... How do we get these guys on tv, 24/7 so all the swing republicans will hear this message??? It's an ideal super powerful argument against this "war on terror" issue... THIS IS THE PERFECT TOTALLY HONEST COMMERCIAL NOT LIKE ALL THE DISHONEST CRAP THE NEOCONS ARE SPEWING... HOW CAN WE GET THIS IDEA TO THOSE MAKING THE COMMERCIALS?