More evidence of the incoherence of the revolting generals

Herbert Myers:

Six retired generals have now called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the grounds that… well, just what has the Secretary done, or not done, that justifies his removal from the Pentagon in the middle of a war?

Read through all the generals’ statements, or listen to them on television, and it’s impossible to get straight precisely what it is these generals are squawking about. One minute they’re talking about our strategy in Iraq, and then they’re blathering on about the Secretary’s plans for re-structuring our military forces or about Donald Rumsfeld’s hard-driving, aggressive management style. For example, Major General John Batiste says about the Secretary that

We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork.

The word “crisp” doesn’t leap to mind, does it? And Major General Paul Eaton claims now that Secretary Rumsfeld

alienated his allies in our own military, ignoring the advice of seasoned officers.

This sounds serious, but surely General Eaton could have told us what advice these seasoned officers gave that was ignored. Was it about the war, or about force re-structuring – or about the design of new uniforms?

In all, the generals’ comments are so muddled—so imprecise and unfocused—that it’s tempting to dismiss these generals the way Groucho Marx, as the premier of Fredonia in Duck Soup, dismissed the peasants who had risen against him:

Guard: “Sire, the peasants are revolting.”

Groucho: “They certainly are.”

But our country is at war and our soldiers’ lives are at stake, so it’s worth some effort to try and untangle the lines, and to pin down just what it is the generals are trying to say:

...

It’s disappointing – but not surprising – that the reporters to whom the six retired generals have been talking haven’t troubled to get any of this straight. That’s probably because these reporters – and their publications and networks – oppose the war, and so are quite happy to publish or broadcast any criticism of the Defense Secretary that comes their way without asking the kinds of probing questions that just might turn the criticism into a non-story.

But surely someone in Washington – in the press or in Congress – can get cracking and ask the questions that will tell us what, precisely, these generals are trying to say. Are they calling the Defense Secretary and the President liars? If they are, then why did they wait so long to speak out? And if this isn’t what the generals are asserting – then what are they talking about? If they believe the current strategy in Iraq is doomed to failure – and there’s a case to be made for this – let these generals tell us what we must do right now, before it’s too late. Or, if what’s driving them is a distaste for the Secretary’s plans to re-structure our military forces – which quite a few senior officers oppose – that’s an old story and isn’t worth all the press coverage these generals and their statements have been given.

...

Indeed, has there ever been a request that has been denied? If so what?