This is the beginning of the end for the policy of failure, arrogance,
corruption, dishonesty and war partisanship.
On Monday Marine Corps Times, Army Times, Navy Times, and Air Force
Times are taking the extraordinary and courageous step of calling for
Rumsfeld to go.
The voice of commanders, the troops and their families will speak. This
madness must end.
This policy must change. Rumsfeld must go.
Enough is enough.
The pre-election timing of this statement is extraordinary; that the
voice of our
military and families would speak so
powerfully for change, in the hours before the nation votes, is a
breathtaking and
decisive statement of how strongly they
feel that this madness must end.
To save any semblance of rationality for American policy in Iraq new
leaders, a
Democratic Congress and the resignation
of Secretary Rumsfeld are urgently needed.
This past week something extraordinariny and ominous happened. An
American soldier was kidnapped. Going all out to leave no one behind,
our mlitary established checkpoints.
What happened next? The government in
Iraq, under the control of pro-Iranian Shi'ite leaders, surrending to
the will of murderous Shi'ite militia, ordered the checkpoint closed.
This is the government that more than 2800 Americans have given their
lives for. This is the government of rampant corruption. This is the
government that has virtually no police force to speak in the fourth
year of this war and whatever police force does exist is heavily
infiltrated by even more of these murderous military.
Meanwhile secretarian violence and bloodshed continue to rise in
November and every day brings news of more carnage and corruption.
And the Republican Congress now wants to cashier even the Republican
Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to protect those who have
been stealing, pillaging, misusing, losing and corrupting more than $10
billion of our money.
Now, in one of the most extraordinary and important moments in the
history of this war, the Military Times newspapers are calling for the
removal of Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld.
Marine Corps Times, Army Times, Air Force Times and Navy Times are
taking a principled and courageous stand sending a powerful
pre-election message about what must be
done.
In fact, what I and others have been arguing for some time is that what
the Military Times now publicly calls for, is what the commanders and
most troops have believed for some time.
Lack of armor.
Lack of protected vehicles.
Lack of bandages and helmets.
Lack of adequate pay for troops.
Lack of respect for commanders from the
President and his neoconservatives who
are now cutting and running themselves by blaming each other for their
shared value.
Arrogance, dishonesty and delusion from
Republican leaders in Washington.
Corrupted Iraq Reconstruction.
Crony deals, stolen money, wasted programs in which American troops give
their lives and limbs for a government dominated by Iranian supported
militia. While the blood of our troops is spilled multi-millionaire
crooks, with ties to one party Republican government lard their bank
accounts, and use our money to pay for their super bowl parties.
As the Miltary Times editorial says, for years the sergeants and
captains have reported back that their urgent efforts to train Iraqi
troops were not succeeding, because those they trained were not loyal to
the cause, and were in it for the money.
As the Military Times editorial says, the Secretary of Defense is a
disaster and it is time for him to go.
As Vanity Fair reports, the pathetic theorists of neoconservativism are
now turning against the President, saying they would have opposed the
war if they knew how he would mismanage it. Meanwhile the President
parades around the country name calling Democrats, and the
pro-Iranian government of Iraq stiffs American troops, while the
Republican power barons in Washington stiff the Inspector General to
protect the crooks who pay for their campaigns.
This is like the end of one of those old Fred Astaire movies where
everyone is on the stage as the curtain closes: Iraq mismanagement. The
culture of corruption. The partisan president dishing his dirt. The
Republican Congress trying to gut the Inspector General. The Republican
candidates drenching the aiwaves with lying and smearing ads.
It gets worse: the neoconservatives running for cover. The intelligence
community saying the war creates more terrorists. Commanders warning of
the descent to chaos. And while the carnage and corruption continue, the
Vice President acts like Captain Queeg, claiming
preposterously that he was always right, demanding that we stay the
course with this catastrophic policy.
MIlitary Times, Marines Corps Times, Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy
Times: they speak for the troops, they speak for the families, they
speak for the commanders.
It is the beginning of the end.
It is time for this madness to end.