So this is a fascinating read. One of GWB's handpicked foot soldiers is becoming so ineffectual and so unpopular that his subordinates are calling for his ouster. Rummy has never been credited as being either effective or at all intelligent, but this is a shocking development. The military has always been run as an organization that relies upon the leadership of its upper echelon, and the unquestioning, unflinching loyalty of the soldiers in the field.
Now, even this tradition is eroding. Does this mean the military is disregarding its heritage? Or is it more likely that the Iraqi war is becoming so unpopular and just plain wrong that even those who once gave their unwavering support to the effort are now sick of those who continue to push the Bush agenda?
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I would have to say that the military is not neglecting it's tradition. A great number of generals who have spoken out have been retired which means that they are no longer part of the military and are private citizens of the United States. With that being said Iraq, like Vietnam has seen former senior military officials come out to disagree with the nations current policy. I believe that when a military situation such as Iraq is planned so poorly, that the outcome will always be the same. Rumsfeld much like McNamara in Vietnam, lacked an understanding of Iraq, its history, and the type of conflict they would encounter after toppling Saddam. The overarching problem in my mind is the Pentagon and the Sec of Defense. Rumsfeld ran the building with an iron fist and was unwilling to cooperate with anyone, especially the people he should have been doing it with, the generals. Having one domineering person run the nations defence policy is a bad idea in general. There should be some sort of reform in this area I believe. Having one person dictate decisions that affect not only American lives, but the lives of innocent civilians in Iraq and across the world, is just plain wrong. Maybe if we could trust our leaders to make competent decisions as far advisors go, we could have a position such as the Sec. of Defense, but I believe that we can't. Anyway the point I am trying to make is that the Iraq conflict is a problem that will continue to occur if this country does not change some of it's military policies that have been used since the Cold War period. In closing, I would say that until something is done to change the way that this nation goes about the "defense" of the country, you will continue to see generals and military publications come out against conflicts because they are frustrated by a flawed system. Eisenhower warned of the military industrial complex and the problems that it would create, I think that after 50 years we should finally start to think about what we as a nation can do to stop making the same mistakes over and over again in regards to our use of our military.
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