Col Hackworth: Secretary of Defense is an "asshole"

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

http://www.guerrillanews.com/human_rights/doc2579.html

Guerrilla of the Week
Editor's Week, August 3, 2003
During the Vietnam War, you had to read hippie publications like Ramparts to find out what it was really like for American soldiers fighting and dying in Southeast Asia.


Today, a growing number of soldiers are speaking out about another doomed military adventure. This time they're using email - and those electronic dispatches are finding their way to the web. Check out "Soldiers for Truth," a revolutionary site allowing U.S. soldiers in Iraq to directly communicate their plight to the world. Don't get the wrong idea. This ain't no peacenik site. It's fervently pro-military, and fundamentally pro-war. But it is increasingly anti-administration. The site's spiritual leader seems to be retired U.S. Army Col. David Hackworth, the self-described Most Decorated Soldier in America. Hackworth can walk the walk. He was shot eight times in Vietnam, and went on to write the so-called "Vietnam Primer," referred to as the military's bible on counter-insurgency warfare.

As a profile in today's Salon describes, Hackworth has become one of the administration's most vocal critics. The Colonel is best known for being one of the loudest detractors of the Pentagon's invasion strategy in the early stages of the war. His main gripe - Rumsfeld did it "light" and "on the cheap," leaving U.S. forces without the manpower to properly secure the peace. During the invasion, his (and others') comments drew the ire of the neo-con junta, prompting Rummy to lash out at the media and what he called the "television generals" - Hackworth being one. But Hackworth didn't back down. He set up his own site, hackworth.com, where you can read his scathing critiques of the war planners.

In an interview with Salon (excepted below), Hackworth hits back, explaining why he thinks the Secretary of Defense is an "asshole," why the war is far from over, and why Saddam Hussein could be the next Ho Chi Minh.

more......interview ...more & links........

------------------------

Soldiers For the Truth -
http://www.sftt.org

Ramparts -
http://www.hippy.com/php/article-91.html

Hackworth's website -
http://www.hackworth.com/

[drewb]

1. I always liked that guy...

Now I'm sure I do! :thumbsup:

[Pompitous_Of_Love]

3. I don't

Hackworth is a knuckle-dragging misogynist. He also hounded a Navy admiral named Jeremy Boorda into committing suicide over the admiral's wearing of a minor decoration on his uniform that he had not earned. CBS news dropped his ass as a commentator soon afterwards.

[ianbruce]

7. I appreciate you opinion.

Col. Hackworth's sitle can be found here:

http://www.hackworth.com/

He also seems to be doing a great deal of good.

[Bake]

10. Boorda was a tragedy

But no one should wear a decoration he/she did't EARN, minor or otherwise. It was foolish, and it should've gotten him busted in rank. If he committed suicide over it, that's tragic, but nobody held the gun to his head but himself.

This, by the way, is not just my take, but the take of a retired Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy who was a close friend of mine, and who admired Boorda.

Bake

[Pompitous_Of_Love]

11. An investigation prior to Boorda's death...

determined that he had not worn the award knowing that he wasn't eligible for it. Hackworth, however, could not get beyond that. CBS made it very clear after Boorda's suicide that it was severing its relationship with Hackworth because of this incident. You can love him all you want because he's bad-mouthing Rummy at the moment, but he is definitely no friend of anyone to the left of Newt Gingrich. His hard-on doesn't extend any further than the Bush Administration.

[jonnyblitz]

12. I agree. I think he is a rignt wing asshole who happened to be

against this particular invasion.

[JohnKleeb]

2. Good job sir, colonel hackworth sir

Also another military man had some "nice" things to say about Rummy.
My grandfather a retired army sergeant who served in Korea called Rummy a "a motherfucker" and said "I hate that motherfucker" it was interesting, didnt suprise me in that he opposed the war and is a lifelong democrat.

[ramblin_dave]

4. Huh? Then explain this posted in another thread...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34043

[Aaron]

5. WND isn't a credible source?

Just a guess. I don't know if it is one way or another.

[Qutzupalotl]

8. The article's about Gen. Schoomaker

and obliquely refers to top brass (possibly including Rumsfeld) as "incompetent" and "self-serving". I don't see a conflict.

[Hubert Flottz]

6. Hackworth is a decorated veteran!

The Rats in the White House never even served in combat! Hackworth had a right to talk down to anyone who wore a medal they never earned! That guy should have offed himself for being a wormy coward! Rumsfield should have been removed from office for his smartassed crack about draftees! He ought to brush his funky green teeth too!

[donco6]

9. So the war wasn't big enough?

Interesting conundrum for Shrubby. Being hammered on one side for going to war, and getting it on the other end for not doing it "big" enough.

Almost makes you feel sorry for the sob -

HA! Not!

[Zero Gravitas]

13. In other news

Hackworth says sky is blue, Earth round.

[Liberal_Andy]

14. I spoke with Hackworth on the radio once,

and asked him about PNAC. He didn't know what that meant.
Then I said, "...you mentioned Wolfowitz and the neocons that are currently in the administration, and they had a think tank called the Project for a New American Century, now you haven't heard of that?"

Hackworth: "Yes I have."

Me: "OK, ..tell (us) what you know about that."

Hack: "Well, it worries me to my soul that, um, you know I've been around 73 years now and I've seen a bunch of wars, and I love this country dearly, but I'm really concerned with what I see. If anybody stands up, starts spouting out the truth, they're looked upon as not patriots. They're looked upon as the enemy. And to me this is just not the American way. I think that what we've gotta do is say, "Are we going too far?"

"Yes we are Paul Bunyon, and yes, we are the biggest and the strongest force in the world and no one, as I said earlier, can take us on, but what we need to do is use this power judiciously, and not just go around with our sledge hammer and decide we can beat up this guy and beat up that guy 'cause in the end, we're gonna lose what we stand for, and that's what bothers me."

4/18/2003 "Two Guys Named Chris Show"
Rock 92.3 Greensboro NC