Lost in the brou ha ha over the Moveon.org's ad criticizing a single misguided general's lies and distortions about Iraq, is the testimony of twenty U.S. Generals who didn't betray us, but demanded a diplomatic 'surge' and political solution to Iraq as well as bringing the troops home--not unlike Moveon.org's position.
From General Eaton's May 1st letter to Bush on his veto of the Iraqi supplemental spending bill.
This war can no longer be won by the military alone. We must bring to bear the entire array of national power - military, diplomatic and economic. The situation demands a surge in diplomacy, and pressure on the Iraqi government to fix its internal affairs. Further, the Army and Marine Corps are on the verge of breaking - or have been broken already - by the length and intensity of this war. This tempo is not sustainable - and you have failed to grow the ground forces to meet national security needs. We must begin the process of bringing troops home, and repairing and growing our military, if we are ever to have a combat-ready force for the long war on terror ahead of us.
Generals opposing Iraq war break with military tradition
In op-ed pieces, interviews and TV ads, more than 20 retired U.S. generals have broken ranks with the culture of salute and keep it in the family. Instead, they are criticizing the commander in chief and other top civilian leaders who led the nation into what the generals believe is a misbegotten and tragic war.
Before his May 1st letter, Eaton wrote a fairly well publicized op-ed in the New York Times, criticizing the war's prosecution and then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Eaton, the General whom Petraeus replaced, said he wrote his New York op-ed piece because he believed that three pillars of our democratic system had failed:
The Bush administration ignored alarms raised by him and other commanders on the ground; the Republican-controlled Congress had failed to exercise oversight; and the media had abdicated its watchdog role.
"As we look back, it appears that without realizing it, we were reacting to a constitutional crisis," Eaton said in a recent interview.
Some of Eaton's colleagues, both active and retired, endorsed his decision to speak out. Others thought he had stepped out of bounds. He became persona non grata with ethics instructors at the U.S. Military Academy, his alma mater.
Eaton said he has no regrets.
This was by no means an easy decision for Eaton or the other Generals to make, most retired before they spoke out, but even so there's generally an ethos of silence with regard to your comrades in arms.
It was a decision none of the men approached cavalierly. Most were political conservatives who had voted for George W. Bush and initially favored his appointment of Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary.
But they felt betrayed by Bush and his advisers.
"The ethos is: Give your advice to those in a position to make changes, not the media," said Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, now retired. "But this administration is immune to good advice."
Maybe Moveon.org's next ad can highlight portions of General Eaton's letter to Bush on the occassion of his vetoing the $124 billion Iraq Supplemental Funding Bill.
Today, in your veto message regarding the bipartisan legislation just passed on Operation Iraqi Freedom, you asserted that you so decided because you listen to your commanders on the ground.
Respectfully, as your former commander on the ground, your administration did not listen to our best advice. In fact, a number of my fellow Generals were forced out of their jobs, because they did not tell you what you wanted to hear -- most notably General Eric Shinseki, whose foresight regarding troop levels was advice you rejected, at our troops' peril.
...
As someone who served this nation for decades, I have the utmost respect for the office you hold. However, as a man of conscience, I could not sit idly by as you told the American people today that your veto was based on the recommendations of military men. Your administration ignored the advice of our military's finest minds before, and I see no evidence that you are listening to them now.
...
We need a Big 'Thanks' to these Generals who didn't Betray Us.
© Kos Media, LLC
Site content may be used for any purpose without
explicit permission unless otherwise specified.
Privacy Policy
Powered by Scoop.
Permalink | 4 comments