Rumsfeld singled out as crisis deepens in Iraq (General Eaton attacks Rumsfeld)

Guardian Unlimited ^ | March 20 2006 | Julian Borger and Jonathan Steele

[jmc1969]

A former US army general yesterday called for Donald Rumsfeld to resign on grounds of incompetence in Iraq.

There were signs yesterday that the Bush administration was losing its ability to shape perception of the conflict, even among partisan Republicans. George Will, an influential conservative commentator, yesterday compared Iraq's war to that of the 1930s Spanish civil war.

Paul Eaton, a former American army general in charge of training Iraqi forces until 2004, marked the anniversary with a furious attack on Mr Rumsfeld, saying he was "not competent to lead our armed forces".

Yesterday, calling on the US to keep its nerve, Mr Rumsfeld pointed to the swelling ranks of Iraqi government forces. But Mr Eaton, a former major general, said the defence secretary had "shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically", and was "far more than anyone else, responsible for what has happened to our important mission in Iraq". Mr Rumsfeld had to step down, he said.

[elhombrelibre]

We're going to win this war despite the Conservatives who want to wave the white flag while they pontificate like a bunch of smarmy little nancy boys.

The war in Iraq is intrinsic to the war on terror; it is essential to keep America safe that a defeat be dealt to al Qaeda in Iraq so that they don't draw the same lesson they did when we bugged out of Lebanon and Somalia. I'd rather see us escalate the war and take out Assad than to allow al Qaeda to win in Iraq. Have these people gone mad? What will be the consequences for oil prices and for humanity if we allow ourselves to accept their defeatists nonsense that's been shoveled to us everyday by the Democrats, the MSM, and now Buckley, Buchanan, and white flag Will. We cannot allow these people to bring us to defeat when victory is so close. After all the service members have done and suffered, the will to victory is being sapped by people who've never served and always enjoyed the benefits from those who have.

Everyone must keep in mind that the alternative they propose - quiting now - is not peace, but further war closer to home by an emboldened enemy the MSM, et al. could not see and will not fully reproach or describe because of their contempt for the president.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Just by the numbers, fewer Iraqis are dying now than under saddam

More to the point is that the vast majority of "Iraqis killed", at least since mid-2003, don't fall onto our side of the ledger in the first place, but to that of our enemy, the terror-insurgents attacking that country. (Duh!)

The left nowadays is so blinded by Bush-hatred they can't even see that they have self-contradictory talking-points:

(1) The Iraq situation is bad because large numbers of Iraqis have died.

(2) We should exit Iraq.

The problem is that (2) is not in any sense a solution to (1), nor is (1) caused by (2). We are in Iraq at this point to defend Iraq from the thugs and fascists who have caused (1). If the left really cared about (1) they wouldn't advocate (2), but its opposite.

"Let's run away from the both of them" is not a solution to "innocent people are being killed by thugs". No one who advocates exiting Iraq has any moral standing whatsoever to preen and moan and hand-wring about the number of Iraqis being slaughtered.

[Calpernia]

bttt

[NordP]

THIS CRAP HAS GOT TO STOP!

[1stCavRVN]

Does the General not know wha he said upon departure from Iraq? A link and some snippets of his: http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jun2004/a061404e.html U.S. Army General Dubbed Father of the Iraqi Army By U.S. Army Sgt. Jared Zabaldo / Office of Security Transition BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 14, 2004 — Less than a year ago an unassuming man from Weatherford, Okla., arrived in this country to guide an organization that didn’t even exist – to build an army that wasn’t there. There was no plan, no force, and only slight guidance. And 363 days later – despite a host of staggering setbacks and difficulties with logistics, contractors, funding, cultural differences and a plan that changed in scope, size and overall delivery – Iraq’s armed forces and civil security forces total more than 230,000 people. In only a matter of months, the army will consist of a 27-battalion, nine-brigade, three-division army and air force, navy, coastal defense force, civil defense corps, police service, facilities protection service, border police force, customs police force, immigration police force, national security police force and a diplomatic protection service officers force. “So a lot of what we are doing here is a direct reflection of what I’ve done in my career,” Eaton said. It was with that in mind that Eaton was brought to Iraq only weeks after U.S. officials disbanded the old Iraqi army in May 2003. In a year, Eaton has grown the police and military teams to an all-encompassing unit that has overcome a withering daily storm of shortfalls, disappointments, changes, barriers, timelines and a myriad of other problems that never make the headlines. Amidst the reports, as well, a wave of silent successes has gone largely untold. “It’s gone from five to 863 in the space of a year and a mission which started off just, ‘Build an army’ … to ‘Build an army and air force and navy. Take on the ICDC – the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps; take on the Iraqi Counter Terrorist Force; the Iraqi Police Service; the Border Police; the Facilities Protection Service ….’” “He’s the father of the Iraqi army,” Aylwin-Foster said. “And commanders are responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen in their units. The good and the bad,” Eaton said. “We learned, and we got better from it,” Eaton said. Now Iraq approaches sovereignty with police and military forces in place where none stood before. And the unassuming man will continue to work behind the scenes and do what he has done for decades: build soldiers. Eaton will be the training officer for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Va. And in a few days, he will leave Iraq with little fanfare, but he will leave behind the house he built.

[elhombrelibre]

Good points, Dr.

Note, too, that the Left is now siding with the most reactionary elements in the world. While they'd have us believe they're afraid Jerry Falwell is going to make them go to church in a US theocracy (they tend to wet the bed on that issue), they look the other way about mass murdering, religious nut cases who threaten the peace from the Philippines, to Indonesia, to Thailand, to India, to Pakistan, to Iran, to Iraq, to Saudi Arabia, to Kuwait, to Lebanon, to Israel, to Spain, to England, to Nigeria, to Kenya, and anywhere else where Islam isn't practiced as a state religion, or it isn't practiced as these nut cases see fit for it to be practiced.

Similarly for the Left, they say they're for women's rights, yet they ignore the consequences of a victory for a mass movement based on misogyny. Have they forgotten the Taliban's treatment of women, or is al Qaeda in Iraq a reformed movement?

The Left, the MSM, and the white flag conservatives want to offer their Utopian balderdash as a solution and behave like in the real world there is no problem as long as you hate Bush and give in to the enemies of civilization. Ideas have consequences, as the old conservative saying goes, and many of these people proscribing defeat as a solution will be happy to point the finger at Bush if we quit and Iraq becomes like Cambodia under Pol Pot.

[oldbill]

Dig a little deeper here and you will find a two-star angry that he did not become a three-star.

If you even worked in the general assignments offices of the services you will find some of these guys (and more so their wives)as catty and jealous as your worst town gossips.

[BARLF]

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jun2004/a061404e.html

[Eagles6]

Yup. What you said.

[bboop]

I'm glad you posted that. I had failed to realize it was from them.

[bboop]

hahhaa, that is their new talking points??? Thanks for the heads up. That's the reason, then, for the 'wounded soldiers at peace rally' stuff that's going around.

[Jeff Chandler]

...a bunch of smarmy little nancy boys.

Dang, you know how to turn a phrase.

[Jeff Chandler]

Buckley, Buchanan, and white flag Will.

These dinosaurs are still getting their information about Iraq from the dinosaur media. They should ask some six-year-old kid to show them which button on the computer is the "power" button.

[elhombrelibre]

Thanks,

[Wasanother]

"Paul Eaton, a former American army general in charge of training Iraqi forces until 2004"

Up and till 2004 the chief complaint was that they weren't getting trained so I guess "former" is probably the right terminology for the one that was supposed to be training them!

[leprechaun9]

The most significant part of their titles is FORMER. They are only two of the FORMERS who retired to a position of pimp of the media!

[paddles]

From the NYT:

"While he criticized others for decisions that led to what he called a false start, General Eaton accepted responsibility for the most visible setback in the training, when a battalion of the new Iraqi Army dissolved in April 2004 as it was sent into its first major battle. The Pentagon sent Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who had commanded the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion and early occupation, to review the program and then to take over the training mission after General Eaton completed his yearlong tour."

In other words, he was fired, replaced, and now wants to share his sour grapes with us.

[malia]

A Rumsfeld bump

[TXnMA]

There should ba a mandatory Barf Alert!!! on all Guardian articles...

[malia]

Rumsfelt and four possible scenarios for the msm/Generals hysteria


1. The Generals got passed over - couldn't cut the mustard

2. Generals/msm Backing McCain

3. or hillary clinton

4. Rumsfeld shuts the msm right up - no stupid questions accepted.

This one has just about run the course - time to start in on Vice President Cheney. Will it start by Friday or will msm wait for next week?