Posted on 11/05/2003 7:27:45 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
|
Gen. Franks backs Bush, U.S. action in face of threats
|
|
By Jeanette Steele October 22, 2003 Former Iraq war commander Gen. Tommy Franks, a jocular figure after two months of retirement, delivered a thinly veiled plug yesterday for President Bush's 2004 re-election bid, saying Bush has proven he stands up to forces threatening America. "You have a president who says, 'I'm not going to let you come attack this country anymore,' " said Franks, speaking to the Mortgage Bankers Association meeting at the San Diego Convention Center. "If you're of the view that that sort of military is important, and that's what we're going to have to do to keep our country intact, then you make that choice," he said. "My tastes, I'm all about the grandkids and the next 200 years (of American democracy), and I believe we have to do whatever it takes, with military force or without." Franks, 58, was the architect and battlefield commander of the recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars as head of the U.S. Central Command. He retired in August as a four-star Army general, ending a 37-year military career that started as a private. Since then, he has marched onto the speakers circuit. The audience of about 2,000 people gave him several loud ovations during his folksy talk on America's greatness and his answers to questions. On weapons of mass destruction in Iraq: Franks defended the White House's emphasis on the weapons threat prior to the March invasion of Iraq. The president made what Franks depicted as a logical decision following reports of Iraq's support of rogue terrorists, work on biological and chemical weapons and Saddam Hussein's incendiary speeches against the West, he said. "If you're the president of the United States and you have a memory of 9/11, and you're getting the information, what decision are you going to make?" Franks asked his audience. He also expressed some satisfaction with reports of chemical components and biological seed stocks found by post-war inspectors in Iraq. "Will we find the smoking gun in Iraq? I don't know," Franks said. "But I'll tell you this: I would not want my grandkids to rest on hope that with the kind of evidence already found that terrorism and these weapons would not come together and create a problem in my country that would make 9/11 look like child's play." On the United States' possible new "bully" image: Franks said he is "not a war-mongering kind of guy," but he sees having the world's most powerful military as the best way to hold other nations' respect. But he said it must be used sparingly. In some cases, Franks added, a little bullying is fine. "As I think of 9/11, it's perfectly OK with me for North Korea to believe that if they don't play their cards right, that we will kick their butts," he said, drawing roaring applause. On long deployments for American soldiers in Iraq: Franks predicted the Pentagon's recent announcement of yearlong tours in Iraq will cut into Army recruitment. As Sept. 11 wanes in the public mind, he added, attracting new soldiers will inevitably get harder because the prospect of combat duty is now very real. "For reasons that all of us understand, the moms and dads and husbands and wives resist the idea that my son, my daughter, my wife, my husband are going to have to go off and continue to serve in a high-threat environment," Franks said. Since reservists are perhaps the hardest hit by long tours, Franks said a rebalancing of the military structure makes sense. In Afghanistan, he said, "we found that very early on we had to call up a bunch of reserves to go do something that if we had been organized right, we'd been able to do with active forces."
|
FYI: San Diego homecoming for thousands of Sailors today on the Nimitz. If anyone sees media coverage, please ping me.
"You have a president who says, 'I'm not going to let you come attack this country anymore,' " said Franks, speaking to the Mortgage Bankers Association meeting at the San Diego Convention Center.
~~~
Gen. Franks rallying the homefront recently.
~~~
If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).
I have messed up the exact quote and interaction but it was kewl. He slammed her pretty good.
Stay Safe !
The problem with freedom of speech is sometimes people actually listen when we speak. :-)
And that Pollyannish View has and WILL come home to bite both parties in the butt. We can't afford to ever compromise our nations security. Cut corners, cut PORK, but never cut the military or stop developing better weapons and armory! Excellent point jwalsh07. We share your beliefs on this one!
Great point and one that isn't typically included in the debate on Iraq. We ignored bin Laden, apparently believing his incendiary speeches were just rhetorical. How could we ignore Saddam given his weaponry and history?
Gen. Franks is a man, a patriot, an unashamed supporter of our president.
And a world-class military leader--not to be confused with "perfumed prince"--mmm, now, who would that be?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.