Generally Speaking.........

Why are The Generals Questioning Bush, and Calling for Rumfeld’s Resignation… in Public???

At the risk of upsetting some of you, let me say that I am heartily disappointed in the recent actions of the General officers who have come forward, in public, to question the President’s prosecution of the war in Iraq and... to push for Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumfeld’s resignation. This just isn’t done.

Personally, I think we should have had more troops committed to the Iraq theatre. I believe that was a mistake by the adminsistration, including the Sec. Def's office. I don't agree with nation building. I think having to rebuild one's nation after the US Military has bombed, and blown it back to the stone age, should be a part of the punishment meted out to our enemies.

I can say that... publicly, because I am not a retired general officer and nothing I say will have any effect on the prosecution of the war... or the morale of the troops or the citizen's support of the war.

Look, we still have troops in the field under fire. The general’s should have taken their problems to Rummy himself, through the Chain of Command and on to the President.

There are ways to do this in the military. The Chain of Command. It’s there for several reasons. Among them is “Good Order”. It is also the honorable way to act when in service to your country.

Retired General officers can be “recalled” to duty at any time the nation feels it needs them. So, these gentlemen may be retired, but they will remain that way at the pleasure of the Commander in Chief. In the case of these officers, however, I don’t believe they will ever have to worry about being recalled.

I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to this story than meets the eye. If, as I suspect, national politics has weaseled it’s way into the officer corp of the US military... then we need a purge of the flag officers just as soon as possible.

For more speculation on why these Generals spoke out publicly, check out “Newsbusters” at:

http://newsbusters.org/node/4924

For even more, check out "The American Thinker" at:

http://americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=4897

As a former member of the US Military, I remain shocked, and disappointed, at the behavior of these general officers. There are acceptable ways to do what they have done. The way they chose is not one of them.

Longstreet