The 'revolt of the generals' continues

[L. Coyote]

The 'revolt of the generals' continues
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/055867.php

Following up on Josh's item from last night, it's worth taking a moment to consider how common the criticism of the White House's Iraq policy has become among generals.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq for a year after the March 2003 invasion, believes Iraq is a "nightmare," with "no end in sight." In today's political climate, the White House and its allies usually dismiss critical assessments like this as "defeatist," and borderline treason. Indeed, when Democratic members of Congress offer criticism nearly identical to Sanchez's, the knee-jerk response from the right is that Dems are emboldening terrorists, undermining the troops, and putting the U.S. at risk.

But smearing generals like Sanchez is obvious more difficult. For one thing, supporters of the president's Iraq policy have made it abundantly clear that questioning the judgment of U.S. generals is practically seditious.

For another, the "revolt of the generals" is surprisingly broad. It's not as if Sanchez's criticism is unusual -- on the contrary, he's the latest in a long line of leaders with stars on their shoulder to break with tradition and blast the Bush administration for its failures.

..........

[msongs]

1. cowards who wait to secure their pensions before speaking out nt

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

2. Uh,....

:yoiks:

[L. Coyote]

4. They have to quit to speak out. The military has its own rules about criticizing the boss.

And they are doing that, checking out. They also have to "play ball" just to stay in the command structure. There is a system of review and promotion, and it is constantly "weeding out" people and promoting the ones who most "fit" into the system. If an officer is passed over several times, their career is stalled and they are typically out in short order. Command is an ever-narrowing pyramid.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

3. And the media gives them a "hall pass" into oblivion

after running a small blurb in the "news"...

[Arkansas Granny]

5. So does this now make him one of those "phony soldiers"?