Today on CNN, retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack called for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation. “I think we need senior military leaders who understand the principles of war and apply them ruthlessly, and when the time comes, they need to call it like it is,” the former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division said.
Swannack joins former Central Command boss Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold and Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste — all retired — in demanding that Rumsfeld step down.
Batiste, like Swannack, joined the fray relatively late, in an interview with CNN’s Miles O’Brien on Wednesday. The interview opened with Batiste slamming Iraq’s potential for democracy: “Iraqis, frankly, in my experience, do not understand democracy. Nor do they understand their responsibilities for a free society.“
The interview continued:
O’BRIEN: So, you’re suggesting a wholesale house cleaning [of Defense Dept. leadership]?
BATISTE: I didn’t say wholesale. I said new leadership in the Pentagon, a fresh start. You know, it speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense.
O’BRIEN: What is going on that is — what is it about that climate that is leading to difficulties, leading to trouble, leading to — as you put it — perhaps unnecessary bloodshed?
BATISTE: I didn’t say unnecessary bloodshed. But when decisions are made without taking into account sound military recommendations, sound military decision making, sound planning, then we’re bound to make mistakes. When we violate the principles of war with mass and unity of command and unity of effort, we do that at our own peril.
Ahem.
I met Batiste a year ago when he was commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq. We spoke for an hour about the insurgency, the Iraqi Army and the upcoming January election for an interim national assembly.
The difference between Batiste’s attitude then and his attitude now is suprising. Last year, he said the insurgency was “not an impressive effort”, insisted that Al Qaeda was behind the worst attacks in Iraq and predicted that everday Iraqis would soon turn against insurgents. And the kicker — he described the chunk of the World Trade Center that he kept in his office to remind himself why we had to invade Iraq.
From the safety of retirement, and with his buddies watching his back, Batiste has lashed out at Rumsfeld. But Batiste is guilty of lapses in judgement just as gross as Rumsfeld’s. The only difference is that Rumsfeld ranks higher, so his lapses have greater consequences. I’m not defending Rummy. But if Batiste were Secretary of Defense instead, I doubt we’d be much better off.
Below are excerpts of my interview with Batiste:
Q: What is the insurgent strategy?
BATISTE: I haven’t seen an insurgent strategy. I’ve seen disparate efforts. A piece of me says that we give them too much credit.
Q: What is the gravest threat [in the 1st Infantry Division area of operations]?
BATISTE: Al Qaeda.
Q: How are Iraqi security forces shaping up?
BATISTE: The enemy … he’s a coward, is what he is. It’s not an impressive effort, and these great Iraqi security forces are figuring that out.
Q: What does a successful election mean for Iraq?
BATISTE: A good election is a huge victory. Our challenge is to give Iraqis an alternative to an insurgency. You know, I carry a piece of the World Trade Center … to remind me why we’re here.
Q: Why are we here?
BATISTE: To end radical Islamic fundamentalism.
Q: But wasn’t Saddam Hussein’s regime hostile to radical Islamists?
BATISTE: We could argue about that all night.
[end of interview]
–David Axe
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Generals Gone Wild!Leave a Reply |
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Maybe he wants to be the next Wesley Clark.
Thats a pretty dam sharp 180 degree turn.
So which side of Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack is a lie?
The one were he was knee deep in field thick of it or the one after he came home and got chatted up at the club?
Id’m supposed to be shock, SHOCKED? Mad that he’s a flip-flopper? Is this wher I call him a coward. I don’t think so.
He didn’t want to get posted to butthole, Alaska or cashiered, so he waited until his honorable disharge was safely in-hand. In the meantime, he toed the line. That’s life, folks. People don’t stick their necks out becuase if they do, they get it chopped. I can’t say from either interview whether I’d like what else he has to say, but he served a long time as a good soldier, and he’s earned the right to say whatever he wants to now.
Oh, and Vote Clark, 2008
In my day the average life of a Second Leutendant in combat allows a shining example that reflects Idiots such as Generals gone wild never lived long enough to make General
I’m guessing that the current crop of flaggellating flag rankers doesn’t feel all that strongly about their gripes as not a single one of them resigned in protest. Sparkling examples of moral courage, eh wot?
Yay!! I love reading about Defense Technology!
lets remember the adage of gen and president Eisenhower about the military industrial coml;ex. we havae it now and it is destroying our country and its economy, pleasae note the numer of congress pearsons aand tne prsident staff who seved and the number wo dodgead the draft with all kinds of giicks national guards and harvard and ivey leage eductional derements
By the way since we are all the sudden giving weight to generals views here at this site as not just news worthy but worthy of consideration and belief. I would recommend reading this here
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20060413–110216-1235r.htm
Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who commands the XVIII Airborne Corps
Its funny how different impressions are between when in the thick over there and back here at home on the Mainstream media news feed as the source of info.
Axe is right. One general who speaks up when he has something to lose is worth a dozen who wait until his pension is secure. There are plenty of officers who resigned rather than participate in a campaign they saw as damaging to US security. And others in the State Department, as well.
General Shinseki tried to bring some reality to the war planning and got pushed out. Where were the other officers? Hiding behind their oaths like Hitler’s generals. The time to speak out is when it matters, not in your memoirs.
romsfeild does not understand war like these ex-military generals due also he is to hold ‚he has never been to a major war conflict before and he’s just like a side line cheerleader.
He has to tout the party line while he was interviewed in Iraq. Did you expect him to publicly denounce the mission or give a hint that it was poorly planned while he was busy leading thousands of soldiers? NO, he’s going to suck it up and get the job done as best as he can with what he has. I too have met the General and know him to be a man mission-focused and without political agenda. He is not the soft, old-boy, golf-playing former General some might make him out to be. I think he is speaking from a legitimate concern for the troops over there and a legitimate lack of confidence in the executive leadership of the nation. I’m not trying to speak for him in any way, I’d just like to speak against the flip-flopping, golf-playing portrayal that seems to have been made. The motto of the First Infantry Division is “Duty First.” The General embodied that creed in Iraq and continues to do so in retirement.
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