The left is very adroitly being hoodwinked by the military. When all this calling for Rumsfeld's head is finished, progressives will find themselves without a sympathetic Congressman and the military will resume a position of influence in American society unheard of since Vietnam.
In summary, these men are not our allies. Dovetailing on their outrage, simply because we also hate Rumsfeld, is a grevious error.
More in the extended body.
First: Let's cut the crap and assume this is a coordinated campaign. One general every three days for weeks and weeks means nearly limitless press coverage. It's brilliantly orchestrated in that regard.
Second: What are the grievances of these generals?
Their complaints are primarily tactical, not philosophical. The issue is not our presence in Iraq, or more importantly the very notion of pre-emptive war. The problem, as they see it, is that we don't have enough troops.
Let's repeat: THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TROOPS.
Sure, some of them are speaking against the war as a whole, but on balance, that is not the nature of the debate they are framing. And you know it.
Third: What are their goals?
1. To unseat Rumsfeld. Because he didn't send in enough troops.
2. To send in more troops.
Fourth: every institution inherently seeks to increase its own power and influence. Hence, a Constitution built on the notion of competing factions. Sending in more troops is the quickest way for the military institution to gain influence.
The left has gotten behind these generals with all its might. Because we hate Rumsfeld also. But these men are not our allies. These men LIKE pre-emptive war. They think that staging invasions as we see fit is the best damned idea they ever heard. It gives them more power personally, more influence institutionally, and an overwhelming sense of God and country.
After they dethrone Rumsfeld they will be drunk on their newfound power. The military will have unseated a civilian through sheer political pressure. Run through the media. Every Congressman in the nation will take note: the American public - both the left and the right - will have expressed full support for the political goals of the military. And with Congress at 23% approval and the military at 74%, no representative will have the guts to stand in the military's way. Especially if there is a major base nearby feeding the economy, which is true more often than not.
And suddenly America is in a position where nobody is standing in opposition to the military. Not the left. Not the right. Not Congress. Not the President. To an extent, the judiciary, sort of.
That is too much power. That's when we start sending in more troops. That's when we start talking about the draft. That's when we start flashing back to 1967.
So what do we do? We try and change the debate. Rumsfeld should go because:
1. Pre-emptive war is wrong and futile.
2. Lying to the American people is unacceptable.
3. Unseating civilian leaders is the responsibility of citizens.
4. It is not the place of the military to practice politics. Their place is to follow orders based on civilian politics.
Stop helping these ex-generals. Rumsfeld's head is not worth the price that we will pay. We are being tricked.
Update: Rumsfeld also needs to go because torture is not something that any democracy can tolerate. Thanks for that.