Gen. Sanchez's Phase IV fantasy
The Time excerpt of the General's book suggest that Gen. Tommy Franks decided to do away with Phase IV of the Iraq operation. If you read Frank's book published in 2004 nothing could be further from the truth. I am surprised that Time has not asked Gen. Franks for a response.
Go to the index of Franks' American Soldier and you will find no indication he was abandoning that phase of the operation. In fact you will find that his retirement was based on having his successor come in and manage that phase of the operation from the beginning rather than have to come in while it was underway.
Sanchez says that Gen. Abizaid, who succeeded Gen. Franks tried to help him out of the bind he found himself in in Baghdad. I am not so sure, Gen. Abizaid was not responsible for the bind. He always favored the small foot print strategy for post war Iraq, and it is more logical to suspect that he was responsible for the troop draw down. Somehow, he has always avoided responsibility for these decisions and it looks like Sanchez is trying to keep that tradition.
Sanchez's book looks like an attempt at payback to Rumsfeld who he blames for his failure to perform in Iraq. Time owes it to its readers to look behind these claims.
Go to the index of Franks' American Soldier and you will find no indication he was abandoning that phase of the operation. In fact you will find that his retirement was based on having his successor come in and manage that phase of the operation from the beginning rather than have to come in while it was underway.
Sanchez says that Gen. Abizaid, who succeeded Gen. Franks tried to help him out of the bind he found himself in in Baghdad. I am not so sure, Gen. Abizaid was not responsible for the bind. He always favored the small foot print strategy for post war Iraq, and it is more logical to suspect that he was responsible for the troop draw down. Somehow, he has always avoided responsibility for these decisions and it looks like Sanchez is trying to keep that tradition.
Sanchez's book looks like an attempt at payback to Rumsfeld who he blames for his failure to perform in Iraq. Time owes it to its readers to look behind these claims.
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