Former Top US Commander In Iraq Calls War "Nightmare With No End In Sight"

New York Times:

In a sweeping indictment of the four-year effort in Iraq, the former top American commander called the Bush administration's handling of the war incompetent and warned that the United States was "living a nightmare with no end in sight."

In one of his first major public speeches since leaving the Army in late 2006, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez blamed the administration for a "catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan" and denounced the current "surge" strategy as a "desperate" move that will not achieve long-term stability.

"After more than fours years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn country or in the greater conflict against extremism," Mr. Sanchez said, at a gathering here of military reporters and editors.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[SergeantD]

The little pompous bastard we nicknamed "Dirty Sanchez" while I was in Baghdad has finally found his conscience, huh? Doesn't want to join the same discredited ex-generals club as book-shilling bitch Tommy Franks, huh?

Sorry, Ric, you lost all of your credibility when you shoved your nose up Bush's and Rumsfeld's asses instead of fighting the good fight for your soldiers.

Take your disgrace like a soldier, or at least a man.

[InofTouch]

I see the Vietnam effect is still going on....being label from both side of the spectrum from people who aren't serving because a soldiers is/was doing there job...correct or not

there never a winner...just sad losers all around that are angry.

[wmbear]

SO WHY DOESN'T CONGRESS INVITE SANCHEZ TO TESTIFY?...

And write his OWN report for them? -- "The Sanchez Report."

[bikerdude]

I wonder if that clown in the whitehouse is listening to THIS general? Bring him to Congress and have him testify. Then get Bush and Cheney to explain their side of it UNDER OATH. If that doesn't begin impeachment proceedings, I don't know what it would take...

[Bushgirlsgonewild]

.

deer lard,

'K, here's the deal, this guy isn't a solder no more, so don't listen to nuttin he shez. I am your prezdent 'merica, and my 'menstruation is tak'in action just like we done for New Orlens. My goal is to make all of Irac just as sussessful as New Orlens, then have the nex demorcat partee prezdent take the blame for pullin out too soon - somethin my daddy always told me he shudda dun bout nine munts 'for I was burthed.

hymen, an got blez 'merica.

[ZingoBonMot]

LOL!

[cityspeak]

Is the senate and the congress listening?

We the people are listening. We also know when the ship has sailed and in this case sunk!

Get us out of there now!

[Bud]

hey hey, he talkin' truth

[Tom95134]

Yeah, 18 months late.

[Where is Jesus?]

Damn! That is some indictment, coming from a top general who knows what the hell is going on. we need more of these guys to speak up. At some point the American military will turn its sights on the real enemy: the Bush administration and all its traitors!

[InofTouch]

very hard to do since we have a history of replace people who don't agree with issues, that why it better to quit but dosen't change anything.

So it is true that, quiters never win.

[Sundialsvc4]

Military professionals from all the branches of service told their Commander-in-Chief not to do it, but the CinC listened only to HIS masters, and saw only oil and money.

Is this not treason?

[Ilvfredum]

We need to pull our troops out of Iraq, Afganistan, Germany, Korea, Bosnia, Guam etc. etc.

[oafishcad]

Well, Duh! Only the dishonest or brain damaged still support our occupation.

[gcallaghan]

I guess this makes Sanchez one of the chickenhawk trolls' "defeatocrats"

[whitewaterwillie]

Either that or a phony soldier.

[wmbear]

JUST A MINOR POINT RE THE USE OF THE TERM "CHICKENHAWK"...

This term is reserved for those (like Bush/Cheney) who are FOR continuing the U.S. occupation of Iraq (the "hawk" part) while themselves never having served in the U.S. military (the "chicken" part). Therefore, the term is inapplicable to Sanchez under any circumstances....

[kellygrrrl]

boy, with little more than a year of lame-duckness afloat, they jump ship like scurrying rodents.

[wmbear]

DO LAME DUCKS DROWN IN QUACKMIRES?...

It would seem so....

[kellygrrrl]

The SS LamDuck is going down, and MOST of those who swilled the Quaky KoolAid will go down with it.

Those that think they can go on Letterman or Olbermann or Stewart and speak out against this Admin. think they can jump from Faux Christian to Faux Progressive but we need to make certain they are not given that pass.

Watch for the new wave of Neo-Libs.

[Smirk]

Another "phoney" soldier for the oh-so-brave-chickenhawk Rush to lambaste.

[ZingoBonMot]

I can hardly wait to hear what Rushblow will have to say about this...

[DefendOurConstitution]

Move over phony soldiers, move over Graeme Frost - the swiftboating of this traitor Sanchez is urgent and must take place immdeiately. Scripts sent to Hannity, Coulter, Rush, Roberts, and all shills. Time to destroy Sanchez - and while going at it it is fair to attack him for being Mexican (after all, the only Mexicans welcome in this Party are the ones willing to serve the master like Gonzo).

[OrvilleHLarson]

General Sanchez, my compliments. It's good to see a military man who recognizes Iraq for what it is--a Goddamn debacle.

Get the hell out of Iraq immedidately, if not sooner!

[ZingoBonMot]

We now have enough "Former Top Iraq Generals" to start a private country club.

So, how about you fellers gettin' together and tee off on George W. Bush, boys?

Hmmmmmm?

[tililek]

HE'S FINALLY JOINED THE WORLD

[JoAnnCr]

Amen.

I wonder what pressure he was under and from whom that brought him to such disgrace.

With a president we do not trust, his minions defecting in droves, will the United States ever get back to a moral leadership in the world? Honesty, decency and courage may be the most important characteristics to ask for in our next president.

Better late than never for Sanchez.

[eshock]

Another historical revisionist... Complicit in the deception and the exercise. All the propaganda does not serve the troops. Don't want to talk about Abu Gharaib? How about owning up to it? When will our nation and its media pundits admit that while we debate Turkey's genocidal actions over the Armenians, we are witness to an Iraqi genocide by allowing Blackwater to still use Depleted Uranium ammunition. It must be stopped. No more genocide for oil.

[Ilvfredum]

Reminds me of Wesley Clark. What next Sanchez for President? I like the half truth of the article.Sanchez said most of the problem was the State Department which is not part of administration.

[hugs4u]

If condi rice and the state department are not part of the administration, just what the hell do you think they are part of????????

[elkabong]

When the Emperor is laid naked, even to a child, there are some fools who will still see him fully clothed.