Collective But Still Wrong

Ret. marine lieutenant general Michael DeLong penned an op-ed for Sunday's NYT to defend Donald Rumsfeld from the Attack of the Retired Generals (check your TV Guide for showtimes), however in serving up his defense he points out the exact reasons why Rummy's got to go.

The outcome and ramifications of a war, however, are impossible to predict. Saddam Hussein had twice opened his jails, flooding the streets with criminals. The Iraqi police walked out of their uniforms in the face of the invasion, compounding domestic chaos. We did not expect these developments.

We also — collectively — made some decisions in the wake of the war that could have been better. We banned the entire Baath Party, which ended up slowing reconstruction (we should probably have banned only high-level officials); we dissolved the entire Iraqi Army (we probably should have retained a small cadre help to rebuild it more quickly). We relied too much on the supposed expertise of the Iraqi exiles like Ahmad Chalabi who assured us that once Saddam Hussein was gone, Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds would unite in harmony. [Emphasis Added]

Mistakes were made, many of them. Mistakes that have caused the death of thousands. While the general wants to cast a collective light on the making of these mistakes, responsibility and accountability must still be had. And this is why Rumsfeld's time as the civilian head of the military must come to an end. Sure mistakes may be collective, but accountability starts at the top.

General Michael DeLong ends his support for Rumsfeld as only a patriot who believes in freedom can: by calling those who disagree traitors.

Thus, for distinguished officers to step forward and, in retrospect, pin blame on one person is wrong. And when they do so in a time of war, the rest of the world watches.

General, you should be ashamed. You fight for the country, you fight for the constitution, but support nothing for which they both stand.

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