More Retired Generals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation

[cal04]

The widening circle of retired generals who have stepped forward to call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation is shaping up as an unusual outcry that could pose a significant challenge to Mr. Rumsfeld's leadership, current and former generals said on Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., who led troops on the ground in Iraq as recently as 2004 as the commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, on Thursday became the fifth retired senior general in recent days to call publicly for Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster. Later in the day, another retired general, Maj. Gen. John Riggs, joined in the fray.

"We need to continue to fight the global war on terror and keep it off our shores," General Swannack said in a telephone interview. "But I do not believe Secretary Rumsfeld is the right person to fight that war based on his absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam in Iraq."vAnother former Army commander in Iraq, Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who led the First Infantry Division, publicly broke ranks with Mr. Rumsfeld on Wednesday. Mr. Rumsfeld long ago became a magnet for political attacks. But the current uproar is significant because among Mr. Rumsfeld's critics are generals who were involved in the invasion and occupation of Iraq under the defense secretary's leadership.

(snip)
Even as some of their retired colleagues spoke out publicly about Mr. Rumsfeld, other senior officers, retired and active alike, had to be promised anonymity before they would discuss their own views of why the criticism of him was mounting. Some were concerned about what would happen to them if they spoke openly, others about damage to the military that might result from amplifying the debate, and some about talking outside of channels, which in military circles is often viewed as inappropriate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/14/washington/14military.html?hp&ex=1144987200&en=155d5469db2762de&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[bdamomma]

1. Rumsfeld must GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he made enough money and spilled enough blood.

[saltpoint]

2. CNN, to its credit, asked some of these questions of General Clark, who,

to HIS credit, answered about the same way this latest batch of generals is responding.

Mr. Rumsfeld has been too arrogant and too dismissive too long. I think his days are numbered. The press is getting into asking these generals for their opinion on Rumsfeld's poor management.

[Swamp Rat]

3. It's about time the generals started listening to their troops!

:eyes:

Published on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 by Reuters
U.S. Soldiers Complain of Low Morale in Iraq
by Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON - Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of U.S. soldiers aired their plight on U.S. television on Wednesday and said they had lost faith in the Army.

Told several times they would be going home only to have their hopes dashed this week, a small group of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, spoke of poor morale and disillusionment with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one disgruntled soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld, one said: "I would ask him why we are still here. I don't have any clue as to why we are still in Iraq."

(snip)

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0716-04.htm

[saltpoint]

4. Wow, Swamp Rat -- that is an amazing quotation by the soldier on

GOOD MORNING AMERICA. I wasn't aware of it. But that gets piped into a lot of households at once.

I can't imagine anything Bush can do at this point to revive Americans' support for this idiot war.

[Swamp Rat]

6. The actual video clip of the soldier speaking can be seen in the movie

F-911 by Michael Moore.

[proud patriot]

5. Thank goodness