Covering A Retreat

As most of us know, some of our retired generals are speaking out against Donald (“The Defense Secretary You Have”) Rumsfeld and his handling (using the term loosely) of the Iraq debacle. So thus, with “Swift Boat Liar” predictability, a cadre of other high-ranking officers has come to Rumsfeld’s defense (including Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong).

As the CNN story notes, DeLong is a former aide to General Tommy Franks, who led the combat operation that removed Saddam Hussein. Despite Franks’ many accomplishments, these comments were found about Franks in this Chicago Sun-Times story:

…his tenure has not been without its critics, particularly early in the Afghan war, when questions were raised about whether he was innovative enough for a 21st-century enemy like the al-Qaida terrorist network. Some questioned why al-Qaida fighters were able to slip away into Pakistan. Some even wondered if Franks would keep his job.

"Not overwhelmingly impressive" is still the assessment of retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, the top Air Force general during the Gulf War. "He sometimes seems to want to come across as one of these aw-shucks, sneaky-smart kind of guys. It's impossible to judge whether he's really sneaky-smart, or sneaky-average."

I posted yesterday about Colonel H.R. McMaster, the commander of the regiment that liberated Tal Afar, which was taken largely from a New Yorker article written by George Packer. In the article (as he mentioned McMaster), Packer noted that Franks cast the same blind eye towards the insurgency that his civilian leadership did.

In the spring of 2003, McMaster joined the staff of General John Abizaid at Central Command. Abizaid soon took over for Franks, who got out of Iraq and the military just as his three-week triumph over the Baathist regime showed signs of turning into a long ordeal. Although the violence in Iraq was rapidly intensifying, no one at the top levels of the government or the military would admit that an insurgency was forming.

I’m not terribly sympathetic to Franks or anyone in his command who reported to him who discounted the insurgency (including, apparently, Lt. Gen. DeLong), and judging from events subsequent to Franks’ departure, it appears that that is what happened.

And that appears to be the reason why they have a vested interest in covering Rummy’s hide, since he sold them, and us, straight down the river.

Update 4/14: Could we have expected any other reaction?