I am glad to see that more general officers are coming out in support of Secratary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It looks like Generals Crosby, McInerney, Moore, and Vallely are appropriately initiating the counter-offensive to the wildly irresponsible, politcally charged, demands by a few former general officers that Mr. Rumsfeld should resign. This step is welcome, and I urge ALL retired general officers to publicly comment on the wrongness of the actions of these renegades...much as Gens. Crosby, McInerney, Moore and Vallely did here...
"In The Wall Street Journal article, the four retired generals wrote, "We do not believe that it is appropriate for active duty, or retired, senior military officers to publicly criticize U.S. civilian leadership during war," and called the Rumsfeld critics' feelings "irrelevant.""
The reason (as I have already pointed out below) is because an acrimonious political season plays into the hands of our enemies and only encourages them to outlast our will...which I might add, appears to be at an all time low in this country. If we could get up the same gumption we have for protecting baby seals, trees, owls, albino rhinos, and who knows what else, to protect ourselves, we could easily have enough will to win this war...without any significant civilian casualties here at home...but, I digress.
When retired military officers stir the political winds with their insubordination, they are blocking for the only play that has defeated us in the course of our history...outlasting the public will, and defeating America. The shot in the arm that these insubordinate generals gave to the terrorists will eventually be calculated in lost lives and limbs, as the enemy, infused with hope, pushes forward, regardless of their increasing casualties. They do this because they know, we will politicize the issue, divide our country, and eventually collapse our will.
The traitorous generals gave them the morale equivalent of nuclear weapons...they see victory on the horizon.
The size, shape, and roles of our military has evolved drastically over time. Weapons development, strategic capabilities, tactical innovations, our actual and perceived enemies and their capabilities, have all combined to radically change the size, shape, orgaizations and capabilities of our forces. Some changes have worked...some have not, Regardless, it is the obligation of the President, through SecDef, to shape the military for the threats of the future, not to acquiesce to the egotistical will of some "rice bowl" protecting generals. Bush and Rumsfeld may be wrong, but you can be certain that each and every CinC, service Chief, and the JCS have had their say. It appears that these malcontents have a problem with the chain of command, as evidenced by this extract from their letter today...
""Much of the acrimony expressed by Secretary Rumsfeld's military critics appears to stem from his efforts to 'transform' the military by moving to a joint expeditionary force that is lighter and more mobile in nature to meet the nation's current and future threats," the article said. "Many senior officers and bureaucrats did not support his transformation goals -- preferring conventional weapons of the past ... which prove practically useless against lawless and uncivilized enemies engaged in asymmetric warfare," the writers continued."
After they have had their input, it is the DUTY of these generals to execute their orders and assist the President and the SecDef to accomplish their desired changes, not to get in their way or be ruinous to their efforts. It is their oath to their country.
"Officer Oath: I, A.B., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
Since all officers remain under their oath and serve at the will of the President, they have broken their oath to this country and should be ashamed.
I urge ALL former flag officers to sharpen their pens and get their letters to the Pentagon, and to their local papers...if we are going to win the war for the will of the Ameican people...it is going to take some good generalship to overcome the bad generalship that has put our troops, and our victory, in peril. Live up to your oaths and help vanquish these domestic enemies.
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