White House defends progress in Iraq as ex-commander sees 'nightmare'

[rodeodance]

Source: afp




White House defends progress in Iraq as ex-commander sees 'nightmare'

by Maxim Kniazkov Sat Oct 13, 2:42 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House insisted that progress was being made in Iraq after a former top US commander there assailed its strategy and lamented that the war was "a nightmare with no end in sight."


Retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez delivered a scathing assessment of the management of the war as he denounced US political leaders as "incompetent," "inept" and "derelict in the performance of their duty."

"There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight," said Sanchez on Friday, addressing a meeting of military correspondents and editors in Arlington, a Virginia suburb of Washington.

He blasted President George W. Bush's "surge" strategy which calls for maintaining more than 160,000 US troops in Iraq until the end of the year in the hope of reducing sectarian violence and bringing political stability.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071013/wl_afp/usiraqmilitarypoliticssanchez_071013183610;_ylt=AhpJcJA_8buNY4hxgyTfLRus0NUE

[Botany]

1. "I will listen to the generals on the ground." bush

"There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight,"
Retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez

[calimary]

2. And where were you, Ricardo, when you could have spoken up

back when it might REALLY have counted for something?

I'm not sure how I feel about this guy. I'm glad he's speaking out, but it's five years and almost FOUR THOUSAND American dead too late. Couldn't he have stepped away earlier than this? Couldn't he have spoken out sooner? Couldn't he have at least TRIED to stop it? Put principle over "president"? TOO MANY MOTHERS have sobbed, TOO MANY WIDOWS have suffered, TOO MANY CHILDREN have cried over a parent they'll NEVER know because that mom or dad was killed in the war - and it's on sanchez's head, too. That blood is on your hands, too, ricardo.

[mark414]

5. he was still active duty, he could be thrown in jail for speaking out against it

he's retired now...but i agree, if he really thought it was fucked from the beginning he should've retired on the spot and spoke out


better late than never, but even that's still no excuse

[calimary]

7. I guess THAT'S my question. He had risen to such a rank where he

could simply announce his retirement the INSTANT this whole mess started making his skin crawl. What was he waiting for?

I'm assuming you have more military experience than I have (although that isn't saying much - I don't have ANY!) so I'm wondering something else as well.

He kept talking about "lawful orders." Or "legal orders" or whatever the phraseology was. Once he'd started to reach for the Rolaids on this, did it NOT occur to him, even once, that these orders he was being given to carry out - by senior civilian personnel he's being coy about identifying by name - might NOT be so legal or lawful? And if the answer's "yes," (granted - a BIG "if") then would he not have an OBLIGATION to resign and formally and publicly distance himself from these acts? I mean, if these acts are improper and even illegal, does that not then qualify them for war crimes status?

I sure would like some opinions on this. These are questions the reporters at these things should be asking, and I have yet to hear ONE of them even come close.

[Rebellious Republican]

10. Hummm, thats a lot to try and answer in so short a space........

However I will offer my humble opinion based on my own personal experience having served and having multiple family members that served in the past, currently serving or have just recently served.

I guess you can start by saying that from day one, in any form of basic military training environment, weather it be boot camp, Officers candidate schools, any of the Armed Forces Military Academy's(West-point, Annapolis,etc.)very young impressionable kids enter a world of total immersion and seclusion. They are totally stripped of individuality and rewarded for obedience and disciplined for disobedience. These are just entry level schools, as you progress thru your career there will be lots more schools. There are specialty schools for such Naval Aircrewman, Navy Seals, Para Rescue, Army Rangers, the list is long. There are job skills schools, most military folks use terms like MOS, NEC or Rating. These would be your primary job skills, such as Radiomen, Engineer, Air Traffic Controller so on and so forth. You also have schools as you rise in rank like leadership training schools, knife and fork schools and many others. These men and women live a life of complete dominance and control including social and cultural control. They have a tendency to hang out and with one another, they have very little outside influence in there lives. Trust me, they may not realize it, I didn't when I was in. It had taken years for me to become more in tune with reality. After all doesn't my pseudonym (RR)say something of my former way of thinking?

Anyhoo, I digress, To answer one question, congress determines what is legal and lawful for the US Military, and he can only go by what they tell him. (see link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_control_of_the_military ) and (http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Military) Consider the US Congress use to be a rubber stamp for the Bush administration, hence those were his governing laws. The direct control lies in the Commander and Chief who is over the Secretary of Defense who is over the Joint Chiefs of Staff and The Unified Commands, now you have understanding of what the man was up against.

I also believe he was the scape goat for Abu Ghraib and was forced to retire. There is a possibility that he did speak up and was retaliated against for it. However you want to look at it, he left before it was his time, he resigned, something is up with that. Yes I believe it is possible for this man to not see the insanity at first when assumed command. However he may had his hands tied by the machine above him when he tried to quietly make a difference. By law he is not allowed to talk about anything that could be detrimental to the security of this country, that could have been subjective under this administration. Even after he retired he is bound by laws of sworn secrecy and may not be allowed to talk about publicly for many years to come. Otherwise he really could find himself making little rocks out big rocks while living on a diet of bread and water in Leavenworth. I believe is doing what he can do and who knows whats going on behind the scenes since he is speaking out. I am thinking the power brokers have changed in DC, and he may have found some protection under what seems to becoming the post Bush era, and cheers to that!

Being in the military is a distinctly different lifestyle, its hard to explain to someone who has never lived it, really it is. Well thats the readers digest version, hope that sheds some light on the subject for.

:hi:

[happyslug]

9. The WSWS.org site has a different spin in this, i.e. Sanchez wants a Military coup.

I believe the WSWS.org is a little radical on this, but they quote him extensively (Through I afraid probably out of context).
For more read the article yourself:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/oct2007/sanc-o15.shtml

Does anyone have the TEXT to the actual speech???

[truthisfreedom]

3. Congratulations for the courage to speak up, General Ricardo Sanchez. I applaud your fearless

truthiness. You've joined the ranks of people that are not afraid to speak truth to power. It's tough, we all know, and eventually those swelling ranks will bring more voters in this country around.

[bridgit]

4. there you see, it's just a matter of how you look at it...

[yardwork]

6. Isn't Sanchez the guy involved with torture in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib?

If even he is saying it's a nightmare, I'd hate to imagine how I would describe it. Wait. I already know.

[Supersedeas]

8. the smearing of Gen Sanchez is almost complete