Former US general says Rumsfeld should quit over Iraq (Zinni)

[Judi Lynn]

Former US general says Rumsfeld should quit over Iraq

32 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (AFP) - A former senior US military commander, Anthony Zinni, called for the dismissal of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over critical mistakes made in the Iraq war.

Zinni, who headed the US Central Command from 1997 to 2000, was asked if anyone should lose their job over how Washington has managed its Iraq policy.

"Secretary of defense to begin with," he told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

"Integrity and getting on with the mission and doing it right is more important than loyalty. Both are great traits, but integrity, honesty and performance and competence have to outweigh, in this business, loyalty," the former Marine Corps general said.
(snip/...)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060402/pl_afp/usiraqmilitary

[marmar]

1. Rumsfeld is just part of the problem...

If he quits BushCo will replace him with another bedraggled Reaganite neocon.

[lebkuchen]

3. Rummy is a huge part of the problem.

I've heard your argument several times, on the job, but everytime the offender was sent packing, things improved immensely. It doesn't get worse than Rummy. The man is possessed.

[lebkuchen]

2. I worship you, Admiral Zinni

Champagne for everyone when Rummy goes.

[ShockediSay]

17. Seriously, I haven't heard such straight talking common sense

on a Sun AM newshow for quite some time. His book is worth a looksee IMHO.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

19. Really! The man was brillant, clear, ...it stopped me in my tracks.

I heard it on the xm radio last night in the car, I agreed with everything he said.

Would have him as a close advisor if I were Prez. (and I'd listen to him)

[saltpoint]

4. Donald Rumsfeld ought to be a character Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

A figure presiding over heightened social instability and increasingly remorseless violence.

It is disgraceful that he is still in that job. My god, even Evan BAYH suggested he might consider resigning. And Evan Bayh is not famous for bold proclamations.

Rumsfeld was bad news a long time ago and ever worse this afternoon. Good for Admiral Zinni for answering so directly and forcefully.

[Ice4Clark]

5. Hell NO he shouldn't quit.......frog march him to the Hague! nt

[Imagevision]

6. 8 billion go unacounted for? Rummy needs to go - hom many millions

has Rumsfeld made off this war? Same for Bush & Cheney, Bush's ole man is on the board of directors of one of the largest defense contractors in the US.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. As everyone knows

For Rummy to be cashiered would mean that the Bush Administration has admitted a major flaw in its Iraq policy. They may be willing to concede "a thousand (minor) mistakes - but not literally, mind you!," but they can never concede a major error. Rumsfeld is part and parcel of the entire operation. He's tied to Bush and Cheney at the waist, unextricable, knotted beyond repair. They'll never let Rummy go, because to do so would be to admit that the whole thing was, is, and will continue to be an utter fucking mess. And that's the whole ballgame for them, from the continued ability to loot the treasury to their obscene ideological goal of presenting Bush as a future hero (in 30 years time, doncha know?, the new outrageous gambit).

[OKNancy]

8. Sometimes Generals know what they are talking about

and can be the loudest voices against ill-advised wars.

[LynnTheDem]

9. Gen. Zinni, 2002; "we will rue the day we ever started"

"It's pretty interesting that all the generals see it the same way, and all the others who have never fired a shot, and are hot to go to war, see it another… We are about to do something that will ignite a fuse in this region that we will rue the day we ever started."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/10/17/zinni /

[wookie294]

10. Wow!

I like this man! Here's what Zinni told Rolling Stone regarding the Iraq invasion....

Did we have to do this? I saw the intelligence right up to the day of the war, and I did not see any imminent threat there. If anything, Saddam was coming apart. The sanctions were working. The containment was working. He had a hollow military, as we saw. If he had weapons of mass destruction, it was leftover stuff -- artillery shells and rocket rounds. He didn't have the delivery systems. We controlled the skies and seaports. We bombed him at will. All of this happened under U.N. authority. I mean, we had him by the throat. But the president was being convinced by the neocons that down the road we would regret not taking him out.

LINK

[RedEarth]

11. k&r

[bpilgrim]

12. VIDEO - Anthony Zinni on Meet the Press

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/04/02.html#a7762

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

[C_U_L8R]

13. I think he would have asked that Bush resign

but he was being way too polite

[Stinky The Clown]

14. I get the feeling about another USMC General - Peter Pace - that he, too

is not in favor of Rummy. Pace is the current Chairman of the Joints Chiefs. I have seen and heard him so often being in conflict with Rummy's proclamations that i worry about his tenure.

Most recently, Cheney-Runny were saying the new breed of Iraq IEDs were using Iranian components. When asked by the press if he had proof of this, Pace said "No sir. We do not." This was about a week ago. On teevee. I was not at all shocked by it. I think the Generals in general are ready to see Rummy leave. My only question is if they can outlast him.

[Disturbed]

15. Rumsfailed will need to pried out of his office with a

crowbar. Shrub will not let him resign because that would be admitting failure. Shrub doesn't do failure. He is a failure.

[rodeodance]

16. you'd think the WH would get the Message!!

[ihelpu2see]

18. Gen. Zinni was great on Meet the Press, what I really liked was that

he was alone with Russert. Not right wing Bush Bot spewing lies about the lead up to war! Just Gen. Zinni saying exactly what I was in 2002 how can he (Saddam) go from contained to HUGE threat???

It was, finally, a good segment for Meet the Press.... Prior to Zinni they had Sen. McCain on... Talk about "Flip Floppity, Flip Flopper" all I could think was WOW he really has sold out to the right side wackos of the party. I think it signals that there is no such thing as a moderate republican and definitely no such thing as a progressive republican!!!

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

20. "It was, finally, a good segment for Meet the Press"...maybe Great

Tim is good when he lets his guest run with the ball and keeps his bush defending mouth shut.

[yellowcanine]

21. Zinni is tearing Bush Cheney and Rumsfield a new ahole on Washington

Journal. And he is calmly refuting the ad hom attacks of the wing nuts who call in. Wing nuts just can't believe that a general could disagree with their incompetent "war president" unless he has some ulterior motive, like being a Democrat. And I am sure it is a further disappointment to them that actually he is a Republican, though a moderate one, so I guess that gives them a little partisan comfort.

[Beaverhausen]

22. Caught this on the rerun last night - Zinni kicked ass!

I thought Timmy looked a bit...what's the word I want here...subdued listening to Zinni. I'm hoping he realized how complicit he was in selling this mess to the american people on his show.