Ousted US Army Chief Blasts Bush Iraq Policy

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030902/ap_on_re_mi_ea/white_iraq&cid=540&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON - Thomas E. White, forced to resign as Army secretary in May, has fired back in a book that describes the Bush administration's postwar effort in Iraq as "anemic" and "totally inadequate."

The book, which presents a blueprint for revitalizing Iraq, asserts that the administration underestimated the difficulty of putting that country back on its feet after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

"Clearly the view that the war to `liberate' Iraq would instantly produce a pro-United States citizenry ready for economic and political rebirth ignored the harsh realities on the ground," White wrote in a preface to "Reconstructing Eden," which is to be published Thursday.

In a letter to news organizations announcing the book's release, White was even tougher on the administration. "Unbelievably, American lives are being lost daily," he wrote. White said the administration lacks a cohesive, integrated plan to stabilize and rebuild the country.

"We did not conduct the war this way and we should not continue rebuilding the country in a haphazard manner," he wrote. "The result will be a financial disaster, more lives lost, chaos in Iraq and squandered American goodwill."

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[ewagner]

1. Whoa!

I hope his pension is safe!

[Flying_Pig]

9. Pension? He's got milliions in filthy..

lucre from his time as an Enron V.P.. He don't need no stinking pension. Makes me wonder why he would "Rat" on his buddies though, ...he must feel pretty confident that Ashcroft won't dredge up an indictment for his doings at Enron. Regardless, he's a snake in the grass....

[tom_paine]

19. Man, this guy could wind up Baxterized

He has a little while to live, I think, before he goes and special-orders some untraceable Glazer Safety Slugs to "kill himself" with.

[sfecap]

11. He doesn't need his Army pension...

He got very wealthy at Enron.

[dpbrown]

2. Thank goodness former insiders are saying so

More, more, more.

[Cha]

3. Wow! First time in history I agree with thomas white..ousted

secretary of army.

the hawks are circling.

[Ernesto]

29. NO

make that "vultures". They smell the END for these assholes.

[Starpass]

4. Ya' know

I think campaign '04 has started with a bang. The news for Bush starting in Sept. when the campaigns start is nothing but BAD. I want to see a pile on and a pile on that just keeps coming and coming.

[Richardo]

5. Anything about his days as a director for Enron?

What about those Energy Plan meetings at Cheney's "location".

If White is really and truly (excuse the cultural insensitivity) "off the reservation" that could be big trouble in lots of areas for RoveCo.

[otohara]

6. Only When One's Forced Out

by this bunch of crooks, does the truth come out.

[fishnfla]

7. Ya know, if this were happening under Clinton

We'd hear this sort of thing screaming at us every day

[Democat]

14. Because the right wing controls the media

Look at all the allegations against Arnold that are going almost unreported in the mainstream media.

Imagine he was a Democrat.

It's very sad to see how far the media in the U.S. has fallen.

[wryter2000]

18. Can you say Gary Condit?

I thought you could. :)

[huckleberry]

8. Don't forget to rate this story!

Give it a FIVE!

I hope more "ousted" officials speak out!

[Patriot_Spear]

10. If an Enron criminal and all around prick like White is saying this-

...Bush* is screwed when his own dirty little henchmen write stuff like this.

Now if we only had some Democrats (other than Dean) with balls out there saying it.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Interesting new think tank he is working with (Baker has to have a hand in

here somewhere given the close ties with Rice University)

This looks like they are doing their own damage control...I really don't think White is turning but I don't have time to research CountryWatch till later this evening.

http://www.countrywatch.com/cw_default.asp

[Richardo]

15. Thanks for that link, nmsa...

I may check it out in lieu of working. :D :thumbsup:

[Nottingham]

13. White is making it evident Bush Iraq Campaign is a Disaster

touted as a Big Win but every step has been A Freakin Nightmre

[Old and In the Way]

16. Rats jump ship

news in the indeterminate future.

[RamboLiberal]

17. Wow - Love it - Not much info on Amazon

or b&n websites. Expensive sucker at 29.95. I hope it hits bookstores so I can read it.

Wonder what pundit shows he won't be invited to appear on - I bet Hannity & Colmes.

[Richardo]

20. OR as Franken would call it:

Hannity and Colmes

[JNelson6563]

22. but he was just kidding

on the square ;-)

Julie

[cmd]

37. LOL

Liars is a book that never ends. And I'm really glad about that.

[DavidDvorkin]

21. Fired in May, book published in September. Hmm.

There's such a thing as an instant book, and this may be such an object. Big event, lots of money offered, reams of paper produced quickly by a prolific writer, or a team of them. (You have to take the whole book production cycle time into account, not just the writing time: editing, proofreading, typesetting, design, contracts with the printer, and on and on.)

Or it could be that he was keeping extensive and detailed notes all along, so extensive and detailed that it took little polishing to convert them into a book. I kinda suspect this was the case. If true, that's interesting in itself.

[Jose Diablo]

23. I wonder

Could the neo cons be getting ready to dump Bush*? Paving the way for someone else on the repug ticket in '04.

[RamboLiberal]

25. That's 2nd book I know of from conservatives blasting Bushie

I'm in the middle of reading Crude Politics that blasts Bush on Afghanistan and says it and Iraq are just a push for oil and a pipeline by the Bushies. That's from Worldnet Daily that put out Michael Savage Weiner and other wingnut publications.

I would not be surprised if it looks like AWOL is going down in flames he will be forced to do an LBJ. I also in my :tinfoilhat: moments have a vision of the neocons or maybe the wingnuts at odds with the neocons fulfilling the Tecumseh curse.

[barbaraann]

32. I think Wesley Clark is hoping the GOP will get rid of Bush and

turn to him, but I may be the only person on the planet who thinks this. :-)

[Pastiche423]

34. Nope, you are not the only one

He has said that both parties have been wooing him. I believe he hasn't declared his party affliation because he hasn't decided which one would give him the biggest bucks.

[RedEarth]

24. One more blast at b...

in the GD forum there is a link to an article that mentions a former Navy secretary blasting b... and his policy in Iraq. The parade continues.....Bring em on!!!!!!1

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=265672

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

26. from 2002.... BBC: Bush's Secty of Army Lied Under Oath

remember this ?

---------------------------------

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2310943.stm

BBC --

"A senior politician in charge of the US army has been accused of lying on oath to the Senate to cover up corporate sleaze allegations. Thomas White, Secretary of the Army and former vice-chairman of Enron Energy Services, always denied his division played any part in the rigging of California's electricity market which gained tens of millions of dollars profit for the firm. "

[Guaranteed]

27. There's that "blast" word again!

ENOUGH with the BLASTING!

[David Zephyr]

28. Tom White, All American Enron Whore

Guess he just got a little too greedy and forgot that there were greedier pigs at the old trough who were bigger than he was.

Look for Tom to soon be residing either in a cell with another Bush Turn-Coat, Manuel Noriega, if he's lucky --

Or with the author of The Fortunate Son.

Didn't Tom get the BFEE memo: Don't fuck with the Bushes.

[Rose Siding]

31. When an Enronite is the voice of reason

we are in SUCH sad shape. lol

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

33. maybe he really is the dumb one

Isn't GOP incompetence wonderful. Don't know anything, here have a
multimillion dollar pension. Don't know anything, here become
assistant sec. of the Army. Don't know anything, here write about
your old boss and make millions....

Our problem here at DU is were too smart.

[Aleesha]

30. But...............

The view wasn't to liberate Iraq, they have WMD, that was the view!
Hopefully, the American people aren't so stupid as to let this lie slowly fade into the background, or yet, as Bush would like, to fade away all together.
Strange how we never hear of the bullshit lie for going to war anymore, the exagerated bullshit.
And to have the balls to stand up and speak about jobs and the economy, when this arrogant SOB has not created one single job.
Arrogance is what led to 9-11, and the arrogance started mainly in the Bush Sr. administration.
Osama and the Bush connection will be exposed, hopefully soon!

[kodi]

35. he's an ex-general with allegience to the army & must hate what's occuring

and i know he helped wire up military bases with electricity via enron, and made a bundle from it, but if he is talking like this, his loyalties apparently are with the army, not bush.

let's see if he endorses wesley clark.... that would be a blast across bush's ass.

[cliss]

36. I agree. Tom White made

$$millions$$ as the Enron ship was sinking. They tried to get rid of him a year ago, when they said he was not fit to be a good role model for the Army. So I'm glad he's gone.

However, don'tcha love it when the pot calls the kettle black. The knives are really out for Bush now. I see critical articles popping up all over the place.