General Eaton’s Letter to President Bush on Veto
[via Kangro X, DailyKOS]
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President George W. Bush Dear Mr. President, Today, in your veto message regarding the bipartisan legislation just passed on Operation Iraqi Freedom, you asserted that you so decided because you listen to your commanders on the ground.
The legislation you vetoed today represented a course of action that is long overdue. This war can no longer be won by the military alone. We must bring to bear the entire array of national power – military, diplomatic and economic. The situation demands a surge in diplomacy, and pressure on the Iraqi government to fix its internal affairs. Further, the Army and Marine Corps are on the verge of breaking – or have been broken already – by the length and intensity of this war. This tempo is not sustainable – and you have failed to grow the ground forces to meet national security needs. We must begin the process of bringing troops home, and repairing and growing our military, if we are ever to have a combat-ready force for the long war on terror ahead of us. The bill you rejected today sets benchmarks for success that the Iraqis would have to meet, and puts us on a course to redeploy our troops. It stresses the need for sending troops into battle only when they are rested, trained and equipped. In my view, and in the view of many others in the military that I know, that is the best course of action for our security. As someone who served this nation for decades, I have the utmost respect for the office you hold. However, as a man of conscience, I could not sit idly by as you told the American people today that your veto was based on the recommendations of military men. Your administration ignored the advice of our military’s finest minds before, and I see no evidence that you are listening to them now. I urge you to reconsider your position, and work with Congress to pass a bill that achieves the goals laid out above. Respectfully, Major General Paul D. Eaton, USA, Retired |
Respectfully, as your former commander on the ground, your administration did not listen to our best advice. In fact, a number of my fellow Generals were forced out of their jobs, because they did not tell you what you wanted to hear — most notably General Eric Shinseki, whose foresight regarding troop levels was advice you rejected, at our troops’ peril.
I just want to point out that Major General Eaton was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004.
I hope that General Eatons’s letter gets lots of coverage today. I’m tired of all the lying Bush and his cohorts do every day. How dare they? The WH press corps has to stop letting him lie day in and day out. I’m sorry Tony Snow has cancer again but I’m also sorry that he is repeating lies about Bush never put Bin Laden and Iraq together. I just watched MSNBC with the Stephanie Miller Show where a wife of a Marine in Iraq told her that her husband is over there because of 911. People have to stop watching that Fox news.
Another hero to put alongside Reid’s name. I’m so glad that someone who was on the ground and who was advising Bush at some point has come forward (again) to call him on his lies. I am going to put this up on my blog as well as send it to my senators.
Oh Excellent! I sent it to our senators last night.