LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman. Winner 2013 Webby Awards for Best Political Website
May 22, 2013

 Choose a size
Text Size

Trending:     chris hedges     economy     elizabeth warren     politics     robert scheer
Most Read

Lock Up Washington

Rise Up or Die

Revenge of the Bear: Russia Strikes Back in Syria

How America Became a Third World Country: 2013-2023

California Man Sues Officers He Says Nearly Beat Him to Death

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * The Path of Hubris and War
 * NEW! * Glaciers Are Melting Slowly but Surely
 * NEW! * How America Became a Third World Country: 2013-2023
 * NEW! * Lock Up Washington

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture
Act of Congress
Daily Rituals
The Girls of Atomic City

Digs

Truthdig Bazaar

Our Daily Bread

By Lauren B. Davis

The New Old World

The New Old World

By Perry Anderson
$26.37

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Revisiting the ‘Insurgent’ Generals

Email this item Email    Print this item Print    Share this item... Share

Posted on Mar 5, 2007
Generals
vanityfair.com

The six principled former generals, clockwise from top left: Paul Eaton, John Batiste, Greg Newbold, Paul Van Riper, John Riggs and Charles Swannack Jr.

Vanity Fair has an interesting profile of six retired generals—all of whom voted for George W. Bush—who famously and courageously condemned the administration’s conduct of the Iraq war. Find out why they went against years of military tradition to speak out, and how they feel about the current state of affairs.


Vanity Fair:

From the outside, the six insurgent generals looked suspiciously like a cabal, but there was nothing conspiratorial about them. While a few knew one another, their protests were not coordinated; to this day several have never met. For the most part, they were connected only insofar as one of them emboldened the next, and the next, and the next.

It is hard to conceive of a more improbable group of dissenters. Several are military brats who married military brats and begat military brats. With one exception—who, on principle, never voted at all—all had cast ballots for George W. Bush in 2000. That wasn’t unusual: to this day, none has ever voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, though this now may well change. All applauded when [Donald] Rumsfeld was named to his post; some even initially favored his plans to streamline—or “transform,” as he termed it—the military. But most had soured on him before the public did, after, they believed, he had humiliated and marginalized four-star general Eric Shinseki, the much-respected army chief of staff, who in February 2003 publicly disputed Rumsfeld’s lowball estimates of the troops required for any Iraq war.

Though some of the generals had complained while on active duty about Rumsfeld’s handling of the war—and, they believe, were penalized for their candor—each had to overcome a lifetime of reticence before calling for him to be replaced. In doing so, each surprised his peers and even, it seems, himself. Several say they would never have spoken up had anyone else—the Congress, the news media, the four-star generals—done so first. All seem a little out of their element in the media glare, ingenuously candid, unaccustomed to the refuge of “off the record.”

With one exception, all are between 50 and 60 and, if they didn’t actually serve in Vietnam, were shaped—and haunted—by its legacy. They are generally thoughtful, soft-spoken and articulate, belying the stereotypes of belligerent warriors. Some initially supported the war in Iraq; others had doubts from the outset. Some say they’ve only been praised for speaking up; two claim to have lost job prospects because of it. Most are glad they talked, but two have regrets; one said he would never do it again. All oppose a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq but view the “surge” as too little, too late, at least without lots of money and diplomacy thrown in. All recognize the limits of military power, as only military men can.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

By trantieungoc, March 5, 2007 at 1:32 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Bush/Cheney have order to their subordinates :“Just hang them high. Don’t say a word. We do not need these retired brats”.

Report this

By "few good men", March 5, 2007 at 10:50 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Reading this article I feel as though I’m frozen in time years ago. Reliving my dinning room table conversations from past generals of vietnam.

Sadly, it all ends the same, just a different xxxxx cycle no matter how many PhD’s liter the theater.  In time, the PhD’s in theater will be viewed as xxxxxxxx characters.

Very sadly, this admistration did not utilize the advise of a “few good men”!

Eaton, I agree much more blood will be spilled. You can’t move forward, if you don’t learn from past. Part of NPD block.


All the best,
Inductive ~ Deductive LOGIC
Vested I Squared

Report this
Newsletter

sign up to get updates


 
 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.