The Secretary of Defense Breaks with the President on Sanitizing the War

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/23/2707/

The Secretary of Defense Breaks with the President on Sanitizing the War
by Arianna Huffington

Another Republican stalwart has broken with President Bush over Iraq. No, this isn’t a Republican senator making a speech to buy political cover come election time.

This latest voice of dissent actually came from deep within the administration. From the Pentagon. From the Secretary of Defense himself.

I had read about Gates’ speech at the Marine Corps Association’s annual dinner in Arlington when he broke down in tears during a tribute to Major Douglas Zembiec. But it was only when I saw the clip while taping the McLaughlin Group that I realized how significant and deeply felt was Gates’ display of emotion. Here is what he said, but please watch the clip (the third story in the first segment):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-tv/arianna-on-the-mclaug_b_57297.html

“After the battle said that his Marines had “fought like lions,” and he was soon himself dubbed “the Lion of Fallujah”… After returning from Iraq, Doug was promoted and given a desk job at the Pentagon. He chafed at the assignment, volunteered to deploy again, and was sent back to Iraq earlier this year. This time, he would not return — to his country or to his wife Pamela and his one-year old daughter.”

This war has been full of innumerable instances of both heroism and tragedy but what is striking when you watch Gates speak is the raw emotion he showed about this particular instance of both. By letting his true feelings in the moment get the best of him, Gates broke with the Bush policy of sanitizing the war.

snip//

Thank you for your tribute to Major Zembiec, Secretary Gates, and for not being “good humored” about this war.

[speedoo]

1. That Podhoretz cretin is an inhuman obscenity.

I won't say here what I would do if I ever found myself in his company...

He's Rudy's foreign policy advisor. Even for Rudy, that's just astonishing.