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mikest
PO2
Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 377
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 Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 7:21 pm Post subject: New York Post OP/ED |
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| Quote: | WHY THE TROOPS DON'T TRUST RUMMY
By RALPH PETERS
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May 14, 2004 -- ACCORDING to his handlers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went to Baghdad to "boost troop morale." The best way the SecDef could improve morale would be to resign. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rumsfeld and his apparatchiks boldly defended Washington while our troops fought overseas. Now that the battle's shifted to Capitol Hill in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal, the SecDef's in Iraq.
It's like all those press briefings in which he answers the questions when things are going well, but defers to those in uniform when things are going badly.
Should Rumsfeld resign over the prisoner abuse by rogue MPs? No. He should resign for the good of our military and our country. Those twisted photos are only one symptom of how badly the Rumsfeld era has derailed our military.
Rumsfeld has maintained a positive image with much of America because he controls information fanatically and tolerates no deviation from the party line. Differing opinions are punished in today's Pentagon - and every field general who has spoken plainly of the deficiencies of either the non-plan for the occupation of Iraq, the lack of sufficient troops (in Iraq or overall) or any aspect of Rumsfeld's "transformation" plan has seen his career ended. It isn't treason to tell the truth in wartime. But it verges on treason to lie. And Rumsfeld lies.
Our military needs vigorous, continual internal debate. Contrary to popular myth, our officer corps has a long tradition of dissenting opinions. And the grave new world in which we find ourselves is not susceptible to party-line solutions.
It's especially noteworthy that the officers who respectfully differed from the views of the Rumsfeld cabal turned out to be right. Consider former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki, who was right about the need for more troops and even right about the kind of vehicles we'd need in Iraq. For his service to our country, he was treated dismissively and mocked publicly.
What of that much-touted transformation so beloved of the neocons? In fact, it's just a plain old con, with nothing neo about it. The Office of the Secretary of Defense hasn't canceled one of the real budget-buster weapons systems designed for the Cold War and kept alive by lobbyists. Only the low-end Crusader artillery piece went to the chopping block as a token (the Army itself decided to cancel the Comanche helicopter).
Rumsfeld's "vision" was to lavish money on the defense industry and administration-friendly contractors, while sending too few troops to war, with too little battlefield equipment, inadequate supplies and no long-range plan. As one Army colonel put it in the heat of battle, "We're winning this despite OSD."
Contractors grow rich. The Army grows exhausted. And every single prediction about the future of warfare made by the Rumsfeld gang proved incorrect. Airpower doesn't win wars on its own. Technology doesn't trump courage, guts and skill. Both war and its aftermath still require adequate numbers of well-trained, disciplined troops. And serious planning.
We need a bigger Army. We got a bigger budget - but the money is going to CEOs, not to G.I. Joe. Outsourcing? We see now where that gets us. In Rumsfeld's military, you even outsource leadership. As we did at Abu Ghraib prison.
Even if none of the above mattered, Rumsfeld needs to go because he has utterly lost the trust of the officer corps. He isn't a leader. He's an arrogant ideologue unfit to serve our democracy.
On camera, in a Pentagon briefing room or at a carefully orchestrated, neo-Soviet visit to the troops he so despises, Rumsfeld surrounds himself with yes-men and sycophants. But just ask the combat generals in private what they think of Donald Rumsfeld.
I'm privileged to spend a good bit of time with our military officers, from generals to new lieutenants. And I have never seen such distrust of a public official in the senior ranks. Not even of Bill Clinton. Rumsfeld & Co. have trashed our ground forces every way they could. Only the quality of those in uniform saved us from a debacle in Iraq.
Of course, those in uniform don't get to pick the SecDef. And they continue, as they always will, to loyally carry out their orders to the letter. But to be effective, a SecDef must be respected. He doesn't have to be liked. But, especially in wartime, he must be trusted.
Rumsfeld has failed the most important test of all.
Clinging to power isn't a mark of strength, but of weakness, arrogance and brute obstinacy. Rumsfeld has wounded our military and sent our troops to die for harebrained schemes. In place of sound plans, he substituted political prejudices. Election year or not, he has to go.
It's time to bring integrity, mutual respect and a focus on the realities of warfare back to the Pentagon. The White House has Sen. McCain's phone number.
Ralph Peters is a retired military officer and a regular Post contributor. |
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mikest
PO2
Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 377
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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I posted this because I have seen a lot of people talking about how good Rumsfeld is. This is not from any left leaning paper, it is from Rupert Murdock's New York Post. This admin has not only not been a friend of the millitary, they have hurt it.
I don't expect any of you to swallow your pride and support Kerry. Most of you have valid reasons for disliking Kerry and given the same circumstances, I don't know how I would react. But there is a lot better chance that Kerry can be shamed into doing what is right by active duty soldiers and vets. This administration cannot. |
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Montana
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 138
Location: Montana
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 2:14 am Post subject: |
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| mikest wrote: | I posted this because I have seen a lot of people talking about how good Rumsfeld is. This is not from any left leaning paper, it is from Rupert Murdock's New York Post. This admin has not only not been a friend of the millitary, they have hurt it.
I don't expect any of you to swallow your pride and support Kerry. Most of you have valid reasons for disliking Kerry and given the same circumstances, I don't know how I would react. But there is a lot better chance that Kerry can be shamed into doing what is right by active duty soldiers and vets. This administration cannot. |
...¨Kerry can be shamed into doing what is right...¨ ?
With all due respect, in time of war...you´re kidding, right?
Montana |
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Greenhat
LCDR
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 3:10 am Post subject: |
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Ralph Peters is a good guy and a good writer. He's even right more often than not. I disagree with him this time. The military needs Rumsfeld, they need him to drive through all the changes that are necessary to happen in each of the services (the AF change of CAS to #1 priority, and commitment to teamwork with the Army & Marines, the Army changes to Brigades as the primary unit of combat arms, to the increase in the "teeth" numbers, to the overall improvement of tooth to tail figures, and to the elimination of large numbers of the General Officer slots currently in the military).
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mikest
PO2
Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 377
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I'm privileged to spend a good bit of time with our military officers, from generals to new lieutenants. And I have never seen such distrust of a public official in the senior ranks. Not even of Bill Clinton. Rumsfeld & Co. have trashed our ground forces every way they could. Only the quality of those in uniform saved us from a debacle in Iraq. |
Not even Bill Clinton!
Greenhat said
| Quote: | | I disagree with him this time. The military needs Rumsfeld, they need him to drive through all the changes that are necessary to happen in each of the services (the AF change of CAS to #1 priority, and commitment to teamwork with the Army & Marines, the Army changes to Brigades as the primary unit of combat arms, |
Peters said
| Quote: | | What of that much-touted transformation so beloved of the neocons? In fact, it's just a plain old con, with nothing neo about it. The Office of the Secretary of Defense hasn't canceled one of the real budget-buster weapons systems designed for the Cold War and kept alive by lobbyists. Only the low-end Crusader artillery piece went to the chopping block as a token (the Army itself decided to cancel the Comanche helicopter). |
Montana
Rumseld and the rest of this admin will not change anything regardless of the facts on the ground. The stupid sons of b*****s fought to keep Chalabi in charge up until Branini(sp?) finally gave up. You guys can blame what is happening in Iraq on us, but the truth is these people have screwed it up themselves. And they are still doing this now. |
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sparky
Former Member
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 546
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 6:34 am Post subject: |
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Mikest, that was an excellent article. It's time for Rumsfeldt to spend time with the grandkids.
He and Bush both knew of this in February yet did nothing. Now the US is associated not with liberation, but with simply taking over Saddams gulag!
I remember how conservatives harped on how Clinton was an "embarassment" to this country because of his having "killed Vince Foster" or because he "smuggled cocaine at Mena and killed children there" or some other whacked-out conspiracy theory.
Our allies loved Clinton! BushCorp Inc. is worse than an embarassment, he's turning the US into a rogue nation...a pariah. Just look at international polls!
God, I miss the Clinton years. |
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Greenhat
LCDR
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 6:57 am Post subject: |
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Changes aren't only cancellations. What big-budget items are we discussing here?
The F-22? The Advanced Attack Fighter? The V-22? Those are the only big-budget projects I can think of that are still going forward.
As Peters pointed out, DoD did cancel the Crusader, over the objections of the Army. The Army did cancel the Cheyenne.
It is Rumsfeld who has overseen dramatic changes in the United States Air Force, and their transformation into a force that has its primary mission as supporting our troops on the ground (anyone who doesn't think that is an important change is very unfamiliar with the USAF).
It is Rumsfeld who is overseeing dramatic changes in the United States Army, many of them introduced by General Schoomaker, a General that Rumsfeld brought out of retirement to push the transformation.
A transformation that includes a more stable assignment system, a change from the Division as the primary fighting unit to the Brigade (look at OIF from that perspective, it is very, very interesting); a reduction in the numbers of support personnel and an increase in the numbers of combat personnel (improve the tooth to tail percentage); an increase in the number of Special Operations personnel and a wider distribution of those personnel throughout combat brigades.
And that doesn't even mention the reduction in flag ranks throughout the Department of Defense, something that has been needed since just after WWII.
Funny thing is that Ralph Peters himself has been an advocate of many of the changes that are going on right now. Without Rumsfeld, they wouldn't be happening.
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mikest
PO2
Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 377
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 7:20 am Post subject: |
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Greenhat's right
Me and Condy rice and George Tenent and Bill Clinton and GHWB and every other person not afiliated with the Bush slime machine are wrong. Clarke is a hack. It was a mistake on the administrations part to have Clarke take over the situation room after 9/11.
My only consolation after thie argument is that regardless of what you think, GWB will be defeated in November. The rest of the ation is catching on that he is failing at his job. |
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mikest
PO2
Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 377
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 7:23 am Post subject: |
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| Sorry. Wrong thread. |
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Greenhat
LCDR
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 7:35 am Post subject: |
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A little confused, Mike?
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