Military Brass deliver devastating indictment of Rumsfeld, war planning
Three retired military officers who served in Iraq called today for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, telling a Democratic "oversight hearing" on Capitol Hill that the Pentagon chief bungled planning for the U.S. invasion, dismissed the prospect of an insurgency and sent American troops into the fray with inadequate equipment.
The testimony by the three --two retired Army major generals and a former Marine colonel -- came a day after disclosure of a classified intelligence assessment that concluded the war in Iraq has fueled recruitment of violent Islamic extremists, helping to create a new generation of potential terrorists around the world and worsening the U.S. position.
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Batiste charged in his testimony that Rumsfeld "is not a competent wartime leader" and surrounded himself with "compliant" subordinates.
"Secretary Rumsfeld ignored 12 years of U.S. Central Command deliberate planning and strategy, dismissed honest dissent, and browbeat subordinates to build 'his plan,' which did not address the hard work to crush the insurgency, secure a post-Saddam Iraq, build the peace and set Iraq up for self-reliance," Batiste said.
In addition, Rumsfeld "refused to acknowledge and even ignored the potential for the insurgency," the retired general said. "At one point, he threatened to fire the next person who talked about the need for a post-war plan," Batiste added.
"Secretary Rumsfeld's dismal strategic decisions resulted in the unnecessary deaths of American servicemen and women, our allies, and the good people of Iraq," Batiste said. "He was responsible for America and her allies going to war with the wrong plan and a strategy that did not address the realities of fighting an insurgency."
Eaton told the panel, "We went in with a bad plan," adding that "stay the course is not a strategy."
Hammes said removing the regime of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "introduced major instability not just in Iraq, but in the greater Middle East." And while the Bush administration has repeatedly said the war in Iraq is critical to U.S. security, "it has asked nothing of the majority of U.S. citizens," he said.
"While asking major sacrifices, to include the ultimate sacrifice, from those Americans who are serving in Iraq, we are not even asking our fellow citizens to pay for the war," Hammes complained. "Instead we are charging it to our children and grandchildren."
This hearing, held by Dems since Republicans refuse to hold any sort of meaningful oversight hearings to do with Iraq, earned threats from Trent "Helmet Hair" Lott who threatened the Dems with "retribution" if they dared use a meeting room for such a purpose again.
The entire thing is must see, riveting and inspiring testimony from committed, high ranking, tough, life-long Republican, hardened military officers who bravely and unambiguously tore the bark off the myth of success and competence of both the Bush White House and in particular, Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. All of them made it a primary recommendation that among the first actions needed to ensure any degree of success in Iraq is the immediate resignation of Rumsfeld.
They detailed incompetence and arrogance on a truly disasterous and ridiculous scale from the Secretary of Defense both in the planning for and ongoing efforts in Iraq.
The entire thing is riveting and contains many bombshells (no pun intended)
View it on C-Span at rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/iraq/iraq092506_dems2.rm
posted by The Inside Dope @ 9/27/2006
7 comments
7 Comments:
I looked over you last seven posts and noticed that only three people commented. Don't you think this is sad? You uese to be an important player in the QC Blog community, but now you have become a joke. Don't you think it is time to give the whole thing up? Woudln't a job at Hardees make more sense for you?
I watched the hearing and was filled with hope. These military men finally were willing to tell the truth. It's only a shame that the Republicans refused to allow them to testify in their committees.
It also showed that the Republican congress has absolutely refused to do their sworn duty to provide oversight over the war effort, which has resulted in billions of dollars stolen and soldiers sent to their deaths with inferior equipment even when better equipment was readily available.
The words of these generals showed clearly that the conduct of Rumsfeld and this administration, are clearly criminal.
They've allowed and looked away as corporations stole billions, refused to pass laws to prevent it or prosecute violators, and put a higher priorty on sending only people who passed a test of loyalty to Bush and the REpublican party to run the effort in Iraq than on competence. This resulted in 20 year old right wing congressional staffers ordering around career military commanders.
They made it clear that Rumsfeld absolutely refused to plan for what would happen after the invasion, which alone should qualify him for charges of rank incompetence.
This is only the beginning. As time goes by and more and more people in authority and in the know feel that it's ok to come forward and tell the truth, the true scope of the waste of lives and billions of dollars will finally be known by the public.
It seems certain that this gang will be seen by history as the worst administration in the history of the country.
Rummy,
It is really sad. Only 1,371 people have read the last 7 posts, which were pieces on national issues that usually don't get much response anyway. You're so right as usual, even though your ability to count seems a bit off.
Even though TID gets far more traffic than any other independent blog in the area, I really should just throw in the towel.
But I think taking a second job might be a little greedy, as I'm doing quite well at the one I have. Thanks anyway.
You people are truly pathetic with your gerrymandered facts and "selective listening" as Dana Milbank (no right-wing asshole FYI) calls the Democrats who went into an orgasmic frenzy when the generals denounced Rummy, but STFU when said generals suggested that we need "more troops, more money and more time in Iraq."
You left-wingers only want the part of the story that suits your world view. for he complete story, check out Milbank'sreport.
Pal,
Your descent into angry right wing crank notwithstanding, you're more often than not just plain wrong.
The left and Democrats have been calling for more troops for at least a year, ever since sane people began calling for them, including McCain.
For you to say otherwise shows how truly uninformed you are and that you evidently get your news from Ann Coulter or something.
Milbank's piece doesn't support your premise at all, by the way.
I think any "frenzy" on the side of the reality based community over the testimony of these generals who were directly involved in the planning and execution of this invasion is due to the truth finally being able to make it's way through the waking nightmare of disinformation and spin that this administration tries to substitute for leadership or actual results.
We're in a deep hole dug by assholes and their only "strategy", which isn't a strategy at all, is to exhort us to keep digging.
I hope Rummy and Pal will be ahead of me if we all go marching into hell. At this point it seems a certainty if the cadre of goofs around George W. continue to claim it is a victorious war in Iraq. Meanwhile, our young people continue to die.
Incidentally, for those who rail against the Latino "tide" within our borders-- the number of Latino military killed in Iraq leads all other ethnic groups with more than 300 of the 2,700 plus U.S. dead.
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