President Dick Cheney

Chandos the Red · Jul 26, 2007

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Military leaders are more apt to disagree with the President because they swear an oath to the Constitution, not the President -- this makes those leaders not as trustworthy in Bush's eyes.
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Good point and I agree, since a number of military leaders with an once of integrity have come out in opposition to almost everything that Bush has done with the military in Iraq.

A panel of retired generals told a United States Senate committee today that sending 21,500 additional troops to Iraq will do little to solve the underlying political problems in the country.

“Too little and too late,” is the way Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, a former chief of the Central Command, described the effort to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The additional troops are intended to help pacify Baghdad and a restive province, but General Hoar said American leaders had failed to understand the political forces at work in the country. “The solution is political, not military,” he said.

“A fool’s errand,” was the judgment of Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, who commanded troops in the first Gulf War. He said other countries had concluded that the effort in Iraq was not succeeding, noting that “our allies are leaving us and will be gone by summer.”

Describing the situation in Iraq as “desperate but not terminal,” he said Iraqis had to try to make political deals domestically and negotiate for stability with neighboring nations, particularly Syria and Iran.

The American effort in Iraq has gone badly because the United States did not understand the consequences of deposing Saddam Hussein, said Lt. Gen. William E. Odom, a former director of the National Security Agency. He said the principal beneficiary of the war was Iran and Al Qaeda, not the United States.

“There is no way to win a war that is not in your interests,” he said.
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The Shaman · Jul 26, 2007

"I think if Cheney was in charge you would see a much different tact being taken. Cheney is more apt to listen to experts as opposed to political appointees. Currently, Cheney's role is to play 'bad cop' to Bush's 'good cop' -- a role Cheney does quite well"

Ok, that sounded a little surprising. It could be just the image he has outside of the US, but afaik Cheney was not exactly welcoming of criticism so far, from experts or otherwise. If you do not like dissenters, that is even worse than having only political appointees - political affiliation does not preclude giving honest and good advice.

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President Dick Cheney

Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

The Shaman Gems: 28/31
Latest gem: Star Sapphire

Log in or Sign up

President Dick Cheney

Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

The Shaman Gems: 28/31Latest gem: Star Sapphire

The Shaman Gems: 28/31
Latest gem: Star Sapphire