The Revolt of the Retired Generals

On Monday the US Army announced that four Marines have died in combat in Iraq, bringing the total of American fatalities to 2,335 in three years since the US-led invasion.

It has not been easy administering Iraq at the moment. Just as the trial involving the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is underway, a civil unrest too seems to be escalating in the country.

These days are becoming days of deadly violence with regular car bombings and shootings taking place in Iraq, killing about 30 to 40 locals daily.

The American simple plan of invading and then bringing about democracy looks totally naïve now. And rumbles of discontent are being heard in Washington where some military top brasses are pointing fingers at the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for failing the Iraqi mission.

Some retired generals are now creating enough noise in calling for the resignation of Rumsfeld. Their mission is called The Revolt of the Retired Generals.

The calls by these generals will surely garner support from the public and as it is in a poll by the Newsweek, more than 83% of those voted agreed that Rumsfeld should go.

Below are some quotations from the generals, Rumsfeld and his supremo George W Bush on this matter.


Gen John M. Riggs:
"Rumsfeld should step aside and let someone step in who can be more realistic."


Charles Swannack Jr. - the former commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq:
"I do not believe Secretary Rumsfeld is the right person to fight that war based on his absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam in Iraq."


Maj Gen Paul Eaton:
"Rumsfeld has put the Pentagon at the mercy of his ego, his Cold Warrior's view of the world and his unrealistic confidence in technology to replace manpower."


Marine Gen Anthony Zinni:
"The Secretary of Defense is incompetent strategically, operationally, and tactically."


Maj Gen John Batiste:
"We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork."


Donald Rumsfeld, responding to the generals' criticism:
"Out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed, we changed the secretary of defense of the United States, it would be like a merry-go-round."


President Bush:
"Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation."


How long can Bush throw his support behind his beleaguered defense secretary? And how soon before the pressure is on the president himself for leading the invasion on a false premises?

On the downside, I am worried these could just precipitate a military action against Iran.