And now from the other side of the military's ranks
A few days ago, I posted some strong comments about Iraq by former Delta Force Sgt Eric Haney. Today, I see that Lt General Greg Newbold, USMC (Ret) has spoken out against the war in Time Magazine.
A career NCO and a career officer are both saying basically the same thing. That, my friends, is rare.
"After 9/11, I was a witness and therefore a party to the actions that led us to the invasion of Iraq--an unnecessary war. Inside the military family, I made no secret of my view that the zealots' rationale for war made no sense... But I now regret that I did not more openly challenge those who were determined to invade a country whose actions were peripheral to the real threat--al-Qaeda. I retired from the military four months before the invasion, in part because of my opposition to those who had used 9/11's tragedy to hijack our security policy."
It's one thing when Barbara Striesand or Martin Sheen speak up against our policy in Iraq; when the likes of Haney and Newbold say the same thing, it's time to reflect on what the hell we're doing over there.
posted by Slobberchops @ 1:15 AM
1 Comments:
Newbold is eloquent and, given his experience, undeniably credible. And I am sincerely grateful for his service to our nation. But his commentary falls short: We know the war was invented, we know it was inadequately resourced and poorly planned, and we know the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of a sinister administration, not the troops. What I want to hear from someone with Newbold’s experience, expertise and perspective is this: What do we do now to get out of this mess? His answer—"We need fresh ideas and fresh faces"—is simplistic and therefore unhelpful. Let’s get past the platitudes and have our wiser warriors offer some concrete steps for ending the bloodshed.
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