Reply #19: Latest in a growing wave of public discontent by U.S. military

[leveymg]

leaders and rank-and-file troops with Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld. Founding member of the Delta Force's criticism follows an emerging consensus within the American armed forces opposing the Administration's Iraq and torture policies:

* Stars&Stripes, 3/17/06, several highly critical LTTEs including letter asserting right of enlisted to criticize the CIC. See, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x750046; http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=35783

* Reuters, 3/14/06, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff contradicts Rumsfeld on Iranian responsibility for Iraq explosive devices. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-03-14T194139Z_01_N14358184_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-IRAN.xml

* Stars&Stripes. 3/1/06, poll of troops on the ground in Iraq show 72% favor complete pullout within one year. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=34538&archive=true

* Joint Chiefs of Staff award prize to essay criticizing abuse of prisoners at GITMO and deviations from Geneva Conventions under current policy. Joint Forces Quarterly, Issue 39, Spring, 2006. http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Press/jfq_pages/editions/i39/i39_essaywin_03.pdf; http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/22/113634/029

* AP, 11/30/2005, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff contradicts Cheney in duty of US personnel to intervene and stop prisoner abuse. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/30/91042/028;
By WILLIAM C. MANN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; 3:19 AM

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top military man, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, said American troops in Iraq have a duty to intercede and stop abuse of prisoners by Iraqi security personnel.

When Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld contradicted Pace, the general stood firm.

Rumsfeld told the general he believed Pace meant to say the U.S. soldiers had to report the abuse, not stop it.

Pace stuck to his original statement.

"If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it," Pace told his civilian boss.

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I believe that the above reports buttress the argument that has been made that the Pentagon brass are ill-disposed to any preemptive military strike against Iran, and have been actively resisting pressure for such moves from civilian Defense officials and the neocons in the Administration. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/17/172417/205

The U.S. Military Will Not Go to War With Iran for Bush
by leveymg
Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 03:24:17 PM PDT
Don't fight wars you can't win.

That's the bitter lesson of Vietnam; it was the mantra of the U.S. military until the Bush Administration took power and changed it to, "Attack first, plan later". The old doctrine was codified as the so-called Powell Doctrine, which is back in vogue at the Pentagon after its most recent demonstration in Iraq.

In just five years, the unthinkable has become real. That includes both the threat of a nuclear war in the Persian Gulf or that a sort of legal coup might overthrow this Administration.

The fact is, Bush-Cheney screwed the military so badly in Iraq, that the Pentagon brass, along with the CIA, decided in 2004 to bump the Admininistration rather than being dragged into a far more disasterous adventure in Iran. The Joint Chiefs of Staff joined the CIA in referring the Plame case and the Larry Franklin OSP-AIPAC spy case to the Justice Dept., effectively crippling neocon ambitions for "regime change" in Tehran.

The war drums we hear now are part of large disinformation campaign intended to keep Iran off balance while we withdraw from Iraq.

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