General Ricardo Sanchez's Book Slams Bush, Iraq Handling

The Washington Post points out that in the hubbub of the McClellan book, another scathing memoir has come out exposing the truth behind Iraq.

Getting lost in the media furor over McClellan's memoir is the new autobiography of retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the onetime commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, who is scathing in his assessment that the Bush administration "led America into a strategic blunder of historic proportions."

Among the anecdotes in "Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story" is an arresting portrait of Bush after four contractors were killed in Fallujah in 2004, triggering a fierce U.S. response that was reportedly egged on by the president.

During a videoconference with his national security team and generals, Sanchez writes, Bush launched into what he described as a "confused" pep talk:

"Kick ass!" he quotes the president as saying. "If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill them! We must be tougher than hell! This Vietnam stuff, this is not even close. It is a mind-set. We can't send that message. It's an excuse to prepare us for withdrawal."

"There is a series of moments and this is one of them. Our will is being tested, but we are resolute. We have a better way. Stay strong! Stay the course! Kill them! Be confident! Prevail! We are going to wipe them out! We are not blinking!"

A White House spokesman had no comment.

Comments

[Xgal08]

I don't care if it was 1 year or 7 years too late.

For those of you that think it's 5 years too late, I've got one word for you....

Acountability

[bikerdude]

Accountability is what is required. I wonder if Pelosi is following this turn of events. We must hold this failed president accountable. Impeachment is the way to start.

[souris]

..........­.........I am imagining the knot in General Sanchez's gut when his brain was processing the rantings of a delusional idiot with alcoholic dementia, and realizing that this was the guy leading the parade....­..........­........

[sillyseason]

Karl Rove et al. should pen a new book entitled, "How to screw the Ameican people, in plain sight."

[outnow]

Bush is"cheerleading" the imperial project with increases in military spending and tax cuts for the wealthiest. There is a surge in interest rate cuts while poor people are suffering the most. The rising fuel and food prices with a falling real estate market and loss of jobs indicate a recession. Peace in the Middle East is the key. I am surprised that those generals who conducted the war are unaware of the larger picture. Our country is disdainful of the other people on the planet. Their welfare is our concern in the long run. Full spectrum dominance by a Superpower is a pipe dream. America needs to turn its gaze inwards to see the poverty and suffering at home.

[marymansour]

It's as if the White House was a giant chicken pen with the flock coming home to roost. When it rains it pours. Bravo to Sanchez, McClellan and others who have had the guts to tell the truth about the crimes against humanity and this country that the Bush Administration has perpetrated.

[trollsbwild]

We agree. The real issue is whether it is time to storm the Bastille.
THE REVOULTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED!

[HereNow]

The revolution has already taken place. The USA is now a Fascist led government.

[musselmanm]

You know, I sit here today, all disabled with no hope of going to work. I do get $2000 per month in what many Republicans would call entitlements. I call it Social Security and a UNION PENSION fund that does recognize disability as retirement.
The reason I have always had to work while hurt for about 30 years is that I was never afraid to say what needed to be said. As a construction worker, I had some protection from my union but I lost quiite a few jobs by bringing up situations of employee abuse by our supervisors and safety concerns.
I still am an advocate of saying what should be said.
This is why the people writing these books can say it now. They were not confident enough in themselves and the people around them to step forward and say these things.
Too much insecurity in that truth shit!

[adled]

Maybe that's the problem in general, "too much fear and insecurity"

[bikerdude]

The despots count on that fear and insecurity to stun us for a while.

[Forester]

Colin Powell, Colin Powell, paging Colin Powell. You have a nation waiting for an explanation of your betrayal. Paging Colin Powell...

[elektrik]

what in the heck does this article have to do with Colin Powell? Go troll somewhere else!

[Totto]

Because many of us believed in what Colin Powell said at the UN, we were dragged into a war in which tens of thousands are now dead.

[Independent007]

We knew that Colin Powell was against the war privately during the lead up to the war.
He caved in under the commander in chief Cheney and Rumsfield. But he was no hawk for the Iraq war. And he does not want to write a book while the president is in office.
But I guarantee you he will come out for Obama once he is the nominee and may have a position in his cabinet.

[Marlyn]

Colin Powell bears major responsibility for our current situation, and thus it would be totally inappropriate to give him a position in Obama's cabinet.

[ThermoChemist]

Slowly, but surely, it seems that more and more "military people" are stating the Bush Admin's delusions, misconceptions, and failed policies in regards to Bush's War in Iraq...!

Other generals have done it. General Eric Shinseki, General Pace, General Anthony Zinni, and Lt. General Gregory Newbold in Time http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1181629-1,00.htmll). These soldiers, when the bureaucrats came to shove, ultimately spoke out against this immoral and incompetent war, the justifications for going to war, and/or the ill-preparedness for the war.

As for General Powell. He already has spoken about such things (though not in any formal, detailed manner)...­!

See at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060411_bush_leak_plame_libby_powell/ and...
http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060410-080656-4557r

...and of course we have the non-military people like Clarke, O.Neill; amd most recently McClellan.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

The Texas Air National Guard deserter is a lot braver and more determined when it's someone else on the front line. What a disgrace to the uniform W was in the '70s and a disgrace to America in the White House he is now.

[sillyseason]

GWB, in his own words, "was too busy partying back then" to worry about such trivial things as fight for his country.

The worst example of a world leader in my life time.

[Totto]

George W. Bush is a swaggering, tough talking, terrified little coward.

[frappe]

...And during the 2004 campaign, the media's conspicuous and near total absence of criticism for Bush's pathetic military record while simultaneously promulgating, 24/7, the Republican Swiftboaters' bogus story against John Kerry's actual experience and heroics in Vietnam, was both despicable and unconscionable.

[Marlyn]

"the media's conspicuous and near total absence of criticism for Bush's pathetic military record" ???

Dan Rather tried and lost his job.

[Tropiholic]

I'm happy people are finally coming forward, even if it's too late to save all the dead and injured. My question is why will Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie, and the rest be allowed to get away with these criminal acts? They all deserve to be brought before the World Court and tried for War crimes.

[justfine]

You are quite correct.

It is heartening, however to hear/read these words from General Sanchez. Perhaps, one day, we shall have the great pleasure of seeing Bush & Co receive the comeuppance they all so richly deserve.

Let us pray.

[BBackSoon]

With all of these ‘Several Years After the Fact book writers’ coming out now that this administration is on the ropes I would like to see one or all give the money they get from publishing to a credible non profit to help the soldiers and their families, or perhaps some kind of a Never Forget campaign that will push for some kind of punishment of these thieves and traitors.

It pisses me off that these people that were involved and, for whatever reason, did nothing to stop the madness will get rich off of their own guilt.

[S1m0n]

Thr primary victims of Bush's insane criminality are Iraqis, not US soldiers.

[freder421]

The only the question is, which one of the Bush's, has made the biggest blunder in the history of mankind. Was it George HW Bush, when he left Saddam in power, or was it George W Bush? I do not know, someone think about it and let me know please.

[Bluebloodsbastardson]

it's no contest...­..the biggest blunder was Poppy not wearing a rubber when W was conceived.­.....

[frappe]

george w. bush's legacy will be one remembered as a hemorrhoid on the asterisk of history. What a pathetic loser...an­d to think, this dope was selectively inserted into our Oval office by special interests, as opposed to being elected by the people. What a tremendous outrage and what a horrendous presidency his has been. The people of the U.S., and the world, have suffered greatly because of this idiot's and Cheney and Rove's mindset, along with his army of rubber-stamping Republican enablers in both the House and the Senate.

The people of America will make clear in no uncertain terms exactly what they think of george w. bush and his corrupt, power-hungry, myopic, selfish Republican party in November. It's payback time!

Republicans, start looking for gainful employment. I hope that many of you are cut off from working on K St. as traitor lobbyists for foreign governments and corporations and are forced instead to sell burgers at your local McD's...No­w that would be justice delivered!

[Bluebloodsbastardson]

not at the local Mickey D's send the bastards to the Bahgdad Mickey D's.......­...

[GPC]

To hell with impeachment. bush and cheney are mentally incompetent to hold office. They both need to be relieved of their duties.

[lechatnoir]

I love how everybody is in a rush to dump the blame on Dubya. We've all seen/heard the guy, he's not cunning enough to be the brain behind this humongous mess.
It's time to shift the focus beyond the neo-cons and highlight the enablers, i.e. Big Media. Sure, the presstitutes obeyed the orders, they need to go. There's PLENTY of talented honest bloggers who have been doing the media's job for free, they can get paid, they earned it. But we need to strike at the root. With the feeding frenzy and everything, this is an opportunity to clean house.

[lacitepq]

Despite Bush's intellectual dull edges, he is ultimately responsible for this fiasco. His inability to question those around him who were advocating the war, his inability to hold those accountable for failed results, and his inability to entertain diverse opinions on the matter put him front and center. I agree he was outwitted and probably manipulated by those around him, but shame on him for making it so easy. A smarter and more capable leader would not have let that happen.

[kkuate]

A little more focus from you would help clarify who is to blame for the Iraq mess.... Big Media?
Everybody blames the media, but they did not plan for the war, and certainly the media did not create "inteligencia" to depict Saddam as someone bent on building WMD to threaten America.

I believe Bush, and his team of senior advisors Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfovitz, Ashcroft, had an agenda to conquer Iraq. After all, these zionists were "inspired by God" to liberate Iraq from tyrany - only to turn the country into a haven of destruction, abuse and misery.

If these neocons intent was to establish democracy in the Middle East, how come they didn't try to influence a friendly monarchy like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait and then, when these are converts to democracy, they can be an example to the rest?

Everybody knows what the neocons had in mind: OIL