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Originally Posted by FloridaDragon

The only comment on this I have to make is why did these generals wait until they were retired to come out public like this?

Active duty generals cannot talk. Anyone who spoke too accurately to Rumsfeld was retired - as was well known back then (it’s my way or the highway). You heard retired generals saying back then how wrong the Iraq invasion would be. Too few troops were reported before the invasion began. Did you not listen or were your sources Fox News? Once the invasion of Iraq started, retired generals went quiet as they must. Too many Americans chose to stay ignorant - a definition of anti-American - and did not demand a smoking gun to justify war.

You are supposed to know what justifies war. YOU are required to understand concepts such as a 'smoking gun'. That knowledge is required to be a patriotic American. Speaking publicly against a lying president is not a general's job. You (all) are required to learn basic concepts so as to make an informed decision. Did you? Did you demand a smoking gun - or were only mythical threats sufficient to justify war?

From 2003 are the concepts - what generals can and cannot say has long ago been discussed here:

Iraqis welcome coalition forces
Planning for this war was constantly rejected by the political leaders in George Jr's administration who complained the army wanted too much for the job. Generals never dispute their political bosses. But active generals let their opinions be known via retired generals. Widespread quotes from Generals of the 1991 Gulf War. This force does not have sufficient assets to complete the task.

After 'the war', retired generals began talking again.

So, UT, what do you think of the Iraq big picture now?
Tonight on PBS Newshour is Gen Zinni who says quite bluntly, "We are stuck". He then says he hopes we can find a way to get out of Iraq. He also says, as so many others, that we need more people in Iraq. And we need the Bremmer team to get out of Baghdad; into provincal capitals where the leadership is really needed.

Like a good MBA, this George Jr administration will solve all problem from Baghdad - centralize bureacracy. We have a serious management problem in Iraq. Not the least of it was exposed by that lady from an NGO who many it bluntly obvious - this administration's people will not even go into Baghdad streets to find out what people are really saying.

As we clearly now know, those retired generals (speaking for active duty generals) were correct (it was too much information for Dave and MaggieL said, "I'm not readin' that crap ..." - IOW how to define anti-American).

Every general who commanded in Iraq and who is now retired is saying these same things. When they were active duty, they could not speak. These generals are simply saying what their retired peers were saying for them before the war. How blunt could they be? Did you listen? Or do so many Americans so hate America as to instead listen to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News? Do so many Americans so hate America as to even refuse to learn facts as MaggieL did? Therein lies the only problem. Iraq was 'Pearl Harbored' without even smoking gun justification.

The generals did everything they could to protect American lives. Failure was back here in America where propaganda and emotion replaced hard knowledge and a grasp of history. Demonstrated is the problem in years of previous posts in The Cellar. Notice the number of Cellar posts dedicated to promoting George Jr myths. Notice how Dave found reality too long and MaggieL somehow just knew otherwise - reality be damned. That is where the problem was then and still remains. Generals were as loud and obvious as they could be. But so many Americans instead listened either to their 'big dic' mentality or Fox News / Rush Limbaugh.

An anti-American is defined as one who does not learn facts before somehow knowing. Problems in Iraq today were long understood by active duty generals - now retired. We were told the problem. And yet some still so hate America as to criticize those generals. Many instead listened to a mental midget president who was clearly lying. Generals are not at fault. They did everything possible to inform you. Did you listen or were you hyped by neocon inspired testosterone?

To be a patriotic American, you are expected to learn the lessons of history. Generals did everything they could to encourage you to become a patriotic American. To many were anti-American - could not bother to first learn facts. Somehow just knew - decisions based only upon emotion - that Iraq must be invaded. Knowlege - not love of country - defines a patriotic American. Retired generals warned us. Did you listen?