The Generals and the law....

[catnhatnh]

Under UCMJ it is a crime to speak against the chain of command....this has been said.But others point out that an officer's oath is to the Constitution and that they are required NOT to obey an illegal order,even if it comes from the President-Damning stuff,right???
Well,frankly,no.....the President WAS given the Iraq force resolution by Congress and had the right to apply military force against Iraq.The fact that he lied,cheated,dissembled and obfuscated, while impeachable, does NOT make the resolution any less binding.Had those Generals spoken publicly against the chain of command while on active duty they would have been guilty and liable to courts martial.
But what has been unspoken here is the question of how much they did or did not say WITHIN the chain of command.One need only look at other bad news (say the Winnebagos of Death report or info on yellow cake)to understand that Bush saying that he listened to the Generals on the ground means only he listened to those who supported his existing mindset and buried any dissenting voices or reports....
Do I WISH they had dissented publicly or quit-yeah,I wish our entire military had.But is that reasonable to expect-I think not.....

[boobooday]

1. I think it is reasonable -- unfortunate, but understandable

And I am glad they are speaking up now.