Gen. Sanchez: Bush view "catastrophically flawed"
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:40 pm
Fresh Air from WHYY, May 7, 2008 · Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded ground troops in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, has since been speaking out about the conduct of the Iraq war — especially about what he calls the Bush administration's "catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan."
His views take book form in Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story, which also details his rise from an impoverished Texas childhood to become the Army's highest-ranking Hispanic officer.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I watched helplessly as the Bush administration led America into a strategic blunder of historic proportions. It became painfully obvious that the executive branch of our government did not trust its military. It relied instead on a neoconservative ideology developed by men and women with little, if any, military experience. Some senior military leaders did not challenge civilian decision makers at the appropriate times, and the courageous few who did take a stand were subsequently forced out of the service.
... During that first year of our nation's occupation of Iraq, I observed intrusive civilian command of the military, rather than the civilian control embodied in the Constitution. I saw the cynical use of war for political gains by elected officials and acquiescent military leaders. I learned how the pressure of a round-the-clock news cycle could drive crucial decisions. I witnessed those resulting political decisions override military requirements and judgments and, in turn, create conditions that caused unnecessary harm to our soldiers on the ground.
...because of our rush to war and the need to mobilize rapidly, some units were deployed without proper training. This fact manifested itself across the board—among active-duty forces, the Reserves, and the National Guard. Some general officers chose to cut corners and certify units as "combat ready" when, in fact, they were not.
Throughout my tenure in Iraq, and right up to the day I took off my uniform to retire, I stood up on multiple occasions and adamantly refused to deploy soldiers who were not ready to fight.
...Over the fourteen months of my command in Iraq, I witnessed a blatant disregard for the lives of our young soldiers in uniform.
See here.
His views take book form in Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story, which also details his rise from an impoverished Texas childhood to become the Army's highest-ranking Hispanic officer.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I watched helplessly as the Bush administration led America into a strategic blunder of historic proportions. It became painfully obvious that the executive branch of our government did not trust its military. It relied instead on a neoconservative ideology developed by men and women with little, if any, military experience. Some senior military leaders did not challenge civilian decision makers at the appropriate times, and the courageous few who did take a stand were subsequently forced out of the service.
... During that first year of our nation's occupation of Iraq, I observed intrusive civilian command of the military, rather than the civilian control embodied in the Constitution. I saw the cynical use of war for political gains by elected officials and acquiescent military leaders. I learned how the pressure of a round-the-clock news cycle could drive crucial decisions. I witnessed those resulting political decisions override military requirements and judgments and, in turn, create conditions that caused unnecessary harm to our soldiers on the ground.
...because of our rush to war and the need to mobilize rapidly, some units were deployed without proper training. This fact manifested itself across the board—among active-duty forces, the Reserves, and the National Guard. Some general officers chose to cut corners and certify units as "combat ready" when, in fact, they were not.
Throughout my tenure in Iraq, and right up to the day I took off my uniform to retire, I stood up on multiple occasions and adamantly refused to deploy soldiers who were not ready to fight.
...Over the fourteen months of my command in Iraq, I witnessed a blatant disregard for the lives of our young soldiers in uniform.
See here.