SwiftVets.com

[Schadow]

Almost every day now for the last month or so, the MSM has rolled out a new retired general calling for The SecDef to be fired. NPR is particularly breathless about this movement and broadcasts extensive interviews with a general. They are conflicted whether to have the general on first, or the daily body count.

In fact, Rumsfeld has performed the greatest transformation of the fighting forces in many a year. He has done it with the understanding, which few seem to grasp, of the nature of assymetric warfare and an enemy who doesn't fight a "fair war".

The blog "Big Lizards" has done a very good piece on the whole controversy illustrating the new challenges of which Rumsfeld is totally aware and the old generals are oblivious. Here are a few snips from the blog. The entire thing is well worth a read:

[Anker-Klanker]

Amen. Even the Clinton appointments argument is something of a red herring (though it might have some bearing, it's probably small). The fundamental fact is that the doctrine of overwhelming superiority was drummed into their heads as West Point cadets. (It made a lot of sense when the enemy was easily identified, and when opposing forces essentially were equally armed on a man-to-man basis.) Change is difficult for some people, and particularly people who have been indoctrinated all their adult lives in a philosophy that - for their time - was not only militarily sound, but also politically sound in the inter-service rivalry for funding.

[BuffaloJack]

I like Rumsfeld. He doesn't take any guff from anyone.
Besides that, our enemies hate him. That alone is worth its weight in gold.
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Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71)

[dusty]

Probably only the best SecDef this country has ever had.

Dusty
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Left and Wrong are the opposite of Right!

[Anker-Klanker]

What is disturbing about all this is the timing. I.e., why so many (I know, I know, there's really not that many) disgruntled Generals are complaining at about the same time. Obviously the anti-war MSM is promoting their appearances (notice where all the interviews are happening). Surely these Generals know the damage they are doing to the war effort as "collatoral damage," so I guess I have to conclude that they've definitely revealed their political affiliations.

[Army_(Ret)]

Lt. General Michael "Rifle" Delong USMC Ret has come forward to defend Sec. Rumsfeld and has the utmost respect for him. Lt. Gen. Delong was General Franks Deputy Commander. Lt. General Delong was reccommended to General Franks as his Deputy by General Zinni.

I read this article in The American Thinker and thought this applies as well.

Here is the link for the full article.


http://americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5414


The most recent war plan critic is retired Lt. Gen. Greg Newbold, who, up to four months prior to the launch of OIF, was the Pentagon’s top planner. He left in part due to his opposition to the plan. He now alleges that other top Pentagon officers who opposed the plan did not speak up, that they are culpable for an “invented war.”

At an April 11 press conference Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Peter Pace answered Newbold and other like-minded critics about how the process worked building up to Iraq:

First of all, once it became apparent that we may have to take military action, the Secretary of Defense asked Tom Franks, who was the commander of Central Command, to begin doing some planning, which he did. Over the next two years, 50 or 60 times, Tom Franks either came to Washington or by video teleconference, sat down with the Secretary of Defense, sat down with the Joint Chiefs and went over what he was thinking, how he was planning. And as a result of those iterative opportunities and all the questions that were asked not once was Tom told, “No, don’t do that; no, don’t do this; no, you can’t have this; no, you can’t have that.” What happened was, in a very open roundtable discussion, questions (were raised) about what might go right, what might go wrong, what would you need, how would you handle it, and that happened with the Joint Chiefs, and it happened with the Secretary. And before the final orders were given, the Joint Chiefs met in private with General Franks and assured ourselves that that plan was a solid plan and that the resources that he needed were going to be allocated.

That agreement on resources having been reached, the Joint Chiefs went to Rumsfeld and then to President Bush, assuring them about the plan and the necessary resources. Pres. Bush asked specific questions about whether the proper amount of resources had been allocated.

He did that with us and then again when all the combatant commanders were in from [around] the globe well before a final decision was made.

Gen. Pace stressed the fact that there was every opportunity for anyone with qualms or disagreements to speak their minds. He concluded:

I wanted to tell you how I believe this system works, and I wanted to tell you how I have observed it working for five years, because the [critical] articles that are out there about folks not speaking up are just flat wrong.
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Peace is acheived through victory

[Schadow]

[sixdogteam]

The Drive-by media showed photos of six of these generalissimos on TV--They all looked relatively young to me. Did somebody tell them to take a hike and now they're pissed because they're not Generals anymore?
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HHC 212th CAB MMAF RVN '70-'71

[LewWaters]

I think Rush hit the nail on the head Friday. During his broadcast, speaking with Snerdly, he said

[PhantomSgt]

Apparently the Generals concerned were unable to meet the SECDEF'S expectations of performance and received forty lashes.

The President should recall them to active duty along with Clark for demotion or confinement. I guess they forgot we are at war or then again maybe they never knew............



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Retired AF E-8

Independent that leans right of center.

[BuffaloJack]

Sounds like sour grapes to me.
They didn't get to do the major ground war thing on their watch and now will find fault with everything thats happening without them.
I guess it was tough to be a high ranking military guy under the Clintonistas.
I almost feel sorry for them. NOT !!!
They're a bunch of whiners.
_________________
Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71)

[Nutso]

Unless things have changed, according to the UCMJ as long as your are recieving retirement pay from the military you are still subject to its laws and provisions. Maybe its time we bring charges abainst these 'generals' for speaking against the defense of this country. These are just disgruntled wannabee's who were over their level of competence and drummed out of the military for it. Now they are using the lefty press for face time to try and convince the American people they know better than the real leaders.

[LimaCharlie]

[Schadow]

My personal hero has always been Douglas MacArthur, controversial though he may have been. When considering his entire life, he was an amazing person and an unflagging patriot to the end of his life. And, he understood fully the concept of civilian control of the armed forces.

The technology available to him ranged from the Springfield rifle of the days when his mother, older brother, and he accompanied their father, Arthur MacArthur, on campaigns on the US western frontier; to nuclear weapons under his control in Korea.

Both Douglas and his father received the MoH along the way, one of only two father-sons to be so decorated, Arthur at Missionary Ridge in the Civil War and Douglas for conduct in the Phillipines in WWII. He followed the orders of the President in leaving the Phillipines, thus the appellation "Dug-out Doug" is inappropriate.

He had a thing about winning wars. This was something a commander was supposed to do. In Korea, after clearing out North Korea all the way to the Manchurian border, he sought permission to bomb bridges and airfields in Manchuria to consolidate his advance and was denied by the President for fear of increased Chinese and Soviet involvement. MacArthur made the mistake of talking to the press about this disagreement with Truman and was relieved. Ironically, Korea remains our longest-running war, some 56 years old, never won, only a cease-fire.

My point in all this is that MacArthur remained true to his profession to the end. If he criticized the politicians, it was so subtle that it went over their heads. In May,1962, he accepted the Sylvanus Thayer Award at West Point and made his last great speech. He died two years later. These recent complaining generals should read it. A portion of the speech reads:

[DADESID]