More realizations...

Over the weekend we were treated to another former US General slamming the Iraq war and the Bush(whacked) Administration’s strategy (a term I use very, very loosely…)

Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the former top American commander, gave a speech in which he offered up an extensive condemnation of the four-years the U.S. has been in Iraq.

Not only did he say that that administration’s war plan was “catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic”, he also said that the Bush(whacked) Administration’s handling of the war was incompetent. He then denounced the current “surge” strategy as a “desperate” move that will not achieve long-term stability before saying that the US was “living a nightmare with no end in sight.”

Well, duh…

The number of people who are starting to see this for the first time is staggering, but not surprising. It was only a matter of time before people’s minds caught up with their eyes and they saw what a true mess the Iraq war is.



And following hot on the heels of Gen. Sanchez’ comments that the Iraq war is a “nightmare with no end in sight”, 12 former Army captains have come out declaring that “five years on, Iraq is in shambles,” and that “short” of a military draft, “our best option is to leave Iraq immediately.”

So much for the Bush(whacked) Administration’s claims that all in the military support the war… but the 12 soldiers weren’t done… they went on to say;

“As Army captains who served in Baghdad and beyond, we’ve seen the corruption and the sectarian division. We understand what it’s like to be stretched too thin. And we know when it’s time to get out. […] To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately. A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition. America, it has been five years. It’s time to make a choice.”

When will this administration see this for themselves??

Generally Speaking

Well, well, well… another retired General has spoken out against Bush and his war… but this is not just another retired general… this is retired three-star General William Odom, who was also the Director of the NSA under… wait for it… President Ronald Reagan...

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I’ll give a moment to allow any republicans reading this blog a moment to regain consciousness…
In an editorial/essay for Harvard University’s Nieman Watchdog, General Odom has called for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq…

You can read the entire essay HERE.

This isn’t new, as General Odom has spoken out against the war before (read his Nieman essay from August 3, 2005 HERE), but this time he’s gone one step further, this time he’s provided Congress with a 3-Step plan to persuade “President” Bush to end the war;

“… the first step should be to rally the public by providing an honest and candid definition of what "supporting the troops" really means and pointing out who is and who is not supporting our troops at war […]

The next step should be a flat refusal to appropriate money for to be used in Iraq for anything but withdrawal operations with a clear deadline for completion […]

The final step should be to put that president on notice that if ignores this legislative action and tries to extort Congress into providing funds by keeping U.S. forces in peril, impeachment proceeding will proceed in the House of Representatives. Such presidential behavior surely would constitute the "high crime" of squandering the lives of soldiers and Marines for his own personal interest.”

Daaaaaaaaaammmmnnnnn… that’s gotta hoit…

I think it would be safe to say that Odom’s essay is a derisive and searing article that seeks to make change…

And he doesn’t keep his scorn to Bush, but also the (so-far) inept Democratically-controlled Congress by rebuking them for allowing Bush to smack them down “into submission” with accusations that anyone who wants withdrawal doesn’t support the troops… hence his first point in General Odom’s plan.

It seems that on a daily basis more and more people are beginning to see that our military is, as Odom writes, “combat-exhausted to the point of losing effectiveness.”

Also, it seems more and more people are finally starting to realize that the person responsible for getting us into this war is not protecting the country with his actions, but doing the exact opposite.

Thinking about this, anyone with their own brain must agree with Odom about what action Congress should take if “The Decider” or whatever idiotic name he’s going by now remains obstinate:

They must take action… they must take decisive action.

Whether it be censuring, impeachment or resignation, something needs to be done.

(Personally, I don’t think that impeachment is the best option, merely for the fact that if Bush were impeached, then Cheney would be elevated to president… and we certainly don’t want that…)

Still… perhaps if more leaders like General Odom spoke out about the war, something could be done to actually end it…

Models of a modern major general

The Sunday Times is reporting that up to five Pentagon generals and admirals would resign rather than approve what they would consider a "reckless attack" on Iran.

Said a source with ties to British intelligence; "There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran."

That's just lovely, isn't it?

When a President loses the backing of his generals in the Pentagon, isn't that the ballgame? Shouldn't Bush just pack-up his toys and go home??

Think about it... if this would actually happen, Bush will be viewed as more of a loser/idiot abroad... and our nation would be viewed with the same contempt and disgust... thus lessening our already-dropping standing on the world stage.

2008 can not come fast enough...