Retired Officers to Slam Rumsfeld in Democrat Policy Hearing

[bigtree]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Retired military officers on Monday are expected to bluntly accuse Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of bungling the war in Iraq, saying U.S. troops were sent to fight without the best equipment and that critical facts were hidden from the public.

''I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the administration did not tell the American people the truth for fear of losing support for the war in Iraq,'' retired Maj. Gen. John R. S. Batiste said in remarks prepared for a hearing by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

A second witness, retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, is expected to assess Rumsfeld as ''incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically ....''

''Mr. Rumsfeld and his immediate team must be replaced or we will see two more years of extraordinarily bad decision-making,'' said his testimony prepared for the hearing, to be held six weeks before the Nov. 7 midterm elections in which the war is a central issue.

. . . Batiste, who commanded the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, Eaton and retired Col. Paul X. Hammes were unsparing in remarks that suggested deep anger at the way the military had been treated. All three served in Iraq, and Batiste also was senior military assistant to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.


article: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Iraq-Democrats.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

[Greeby]

1. CSPAN3 1:30PM EDT

Meeting
War in Iraq
Senate Democratic Policy Committee
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 194439 - 09/25/2006 - 1:30 - No Sale

Reid, Harry U.S. Senator, D-NV
Dorgan, Byron L. U.S. Senator, D-ND
Durbin, Richard J. U.S. Senator, D-IL
Schumer, Charles E. U.S. Senator, D-NY
Clinton, Hillary Rodham U.S. Senator, D-NY
Dayton, Mark U.S. Senator, D-MN
Eaton, Paul D. Major General (Ret.), U.S. Army
Batiste, John R. S. Major General (Ret.), U.S. Army
Hammes, Thomas X. Colonel (Ret.), U.S. Marine Corps

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held an oversight hearing on the planning and execution of the war in Iraq.

Witnesses include: Major General John R.S. Batiste, U.S. Army (Ret.), who was senior military assistant to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and commander of the 1st Infantry Division, serving in Iraq in 2004 and 2005; Major General Paul D. Eaton, U.S. Army (Ret.), who was responsible for training the Iraqi military from May 2003 to March 2004, and for rebuilding the Iraqi police force from March through June 2004; Colonel Thomas X. Hammes, USMC (Ret.), who served in Iraq in 2004 and was responsible for establishing bases for the newly reconstituted Iraqi armed forces.

[ShortnFiery]

2. I'll be watching. Thanks. eom

[bigtree]

4. Thanks!

:kick:

[Why Syzygy]

3. I want a photo rememberance!

Is Rumsfeld the peg that is holding up the regime? He is certainly not the mastermind in my estimation. There are higher ups who hold the blame. But if Rummy needs to be the first leg knocked out, then I'm all for it! :woohoo:

[Itchinjim]

5. Why do these career Army officers HATE AMERICA?!