Has Tommy Franks been talking like this to US media?

[Rose Siding]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3542372.stm

MARK URBAN:
But the General soon bridled under Donald Rumsfeld's micromanagement. According to one account, Franks told his political master: ...This ain't going to work. You can fire me. I'm either the commander or I'm not and you've got to trust me or you don't. And if you don't, I need to go somewhere else.... Rumsfeld backed off. The success in Afghanistan overall, though, empowered Donald Rumsfeld to move on to planning a campaign against Iraq. People talked about a Rumsfeld doctrine, small numbers of troops, high-tech surveillance systems, few tanks and little build-up of ammunition stocks. All very different to the 1991 Gulf War. General Franks writes of Donald Rumsfeld that he: ...thinks so far outside the box that he doesn't even know the box is there.... If the Iraq war plan was refined there was pressure from civilian leader in the Pentagon to do it with fewer troops. The army chief of staff, General John Shinseki was fired for saying it could take hundreds of thousands of soldiers to police Iraq. General Franks clearly bears a grudge and minces no words. In his book he calls the civilian leaders of the Pentagon: ...Self serving assholes.... And he regards Douglas Fife, one of Rumsfeld's key aides as: ...The dumbest f****ing guy on the planet.... When the President's war with Iraq was finally launched the atmosphere in Washington and among the press pack led General Franks to say nothing for the first 48 hours. Then he announced his intention.
snip>

GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS:
Each time I spoke with the President, he would say something like, ...I hope we never have to do this... So, I was never convinced we would go to war in Iraq until probably December, 2002 or January 2003.
snip>

MARTHA KEARNEY:
You said, I believe, you're leaning towards George Bush, are you going to let your cat out of the sack before the election?

GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS:
For sure. I think I will for sure. I did say I'm leaning in the direction of George Bush. A lot of people have told me that my book, American Soldier, is very positive with respect to Bush. And what I've said is I have made positive comments in my book about his leadership. This has been a tough three years on the United States of America. And I think we've seen pretty good leadership through it.

He doesn't actually endorse Bush, outright- there certainly is no ringing endorsement in "I'm leaning". What kind of waves will result if Franks doesn't endorse him? Is that possible?

[merh]

1. The US media will not ask him the right questions!

It is scripted and they don't (or barely) touch on this. It's not an issue here!

[Fenris]

2. Douglas "Fife"?

Did Aunty Beeb flub on that one? It's Feith.

[Jacobin]

3. I could care less what that skinny assed sycophant says

He managed to lead the largest, most sophisticated military force in the world to topple a wobbling third world power, that couldn't even fly one plane off the ground, and march to Baghdad.

EVERYONE with a brain knew the real war would start after we were trapped inside Iraq.

He showed his bravery and conviction by hightailing his skinny ass out of the military as soon as the going got tough.

Now, he's some kind of hero?

Give me a fucking break

[Rose Siding]

4. It's interesting to consider his endorsement.

I certainly don't hold him in higher regard than any other war hawk, but suppose he doesn't throw in with Bush in the end. Politically, that would be interesting.

[SunDrop23]

5. EXACTLY!