|
Gen. Myers, Franks Support Rumsfeld re: Iraq
Two of America's most experienced generals have backed Donald Rumsfeld, the embattled defence secretary, in the escalating row over his handling of the Iraq war.Gen Richard Myers, the former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George W Bush, and Gen Tommy Franks, who led the invasion of Iraq, both spoke out after six other retired generals urged Mr Rumsfeld to step down. That call prompted Mr Bush to interrupt his Easter break and express full support for Mr Rumsfeld, a move interpreted as a sign that the criticism had hit home. Gen Myers said: "My whole perception is that it's bad for the military, it's bad for civil-military relations and potentially it's very bad for the country because what we are hearing and what we are seeing is not the role the military plays in our society." The six retired generals condemned Mr Rumsfeld's prosecution of the campaign in Iraq and his management style. Their words were given added force as two had served as senior commanders in Iraq since the invasion. In his first public comment, Mr Rumsfeld, 73, struck a defiant tone in an interview with Al Arabiya television. "Out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed we changed the secretary of defence, it would be like a merry-go-round," he said. Gen Myers and Gen Franks were predictable cheer-leaders for a man with whom they have worked closely. Yet even within loyal Republican ranks, there are growing fears that Mr -Rumsfeld is a political -liability as public support for the administration's Iraq policy slides ahead of November's congressional elections. When Sen John Warner, the chairman of the armed services committee, was asked to comment, his spokesman said only that he "believes that the decision of whether to keep Secretary Rumsfeld is up to the president". None the less, the row has probably strengthened rather than threatened Mr Rumsfeld's position, as Mr Bush is famously loyal to his inner circle. Aides made clear that the president would not be seen to cave in to public pressure over the future of a man whose handling of Iraq mirrored his own views. The general whose comments would carry greatest weight has remained silent so far, however. Colin Powell, the country's former top soldier, lost repeated political battles with Mr Rumsfeld as secretary of state during the first Bush administration and has recently expressed doubts about pre-war US claims on Iraqi weapons programmes. Posted by: lotp 2006-04-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=148542 |