According to the Seattle Times, retired Army generals are being contacted to be "War Czar" of Iraq and Afghanistan. But the generals are turning down the offer.
WASHINGTON — The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, State Department and other agencies, but has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job.
At least three retired four-star generals approached by the White House in recent weeks have declined to be considered for the position, according to people close to the situation. The rejections underscore the administration's difficulty in enlisting someone for the job after five years of warfare that have taxed the United States and its military.
"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," said retired Marine Gen. John J. "Jack" Sheehan, a former top NATO commander who was among those rejecting the job. "So rather than go over there, develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, 'No thanks.' "
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Sheehan, and others, have understood what the administration and the 30% of Americans that support it have failed to: That the war in Iraq isn't going anywhere, and shouldn't have begun in the first place.
"There's the residue of the Cheney view — 'We're going to win, al-Qaida's there' — that justifies anything we did," [Sheehan] said. "And then there's the pragmatist view — how the hell do we get out of Dodge and survive? Unfortunately, the people with the former view are still in the positions of most influence." Sheehan said he wrote a note March 27 declining interest.
Although, maybe Jack Sheehan is the person we need in that position. He certainly has his priorities straight. I've been looking for his email to tell him, but I can't locate it.
1 comment:
The whole thing really is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The Bush regime has lost its war in Iraq.
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