Editorial: Generals versus Rumsfeld

Saturday, April 15, 2006 | 7:33 a.m.

An increasing number of top military commanders - including the recently retired commander of key U.S. forces in Iraq - are saying Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has ignored the advice of his generals and bungled the Iraq operation.

Rumsfeld, they say, should resign. According to the Associated Press, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Riggs told National Public Radio on Thursday that Rumsfeld created an "atmosphere of arrogance." On that same day, retired Gen. Charles Swannack told CNN that Rumsfeld is a stubborn micromanager and called for a new defense secretary.

That brings to six the number of high-ranking military officials who just this month have openly and harshly criticized Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq. Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq until November, told CNN that America's military efforts "need a fresh start." And, he noted, "it speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense."

Batiste is correct. These aren't partisan potshots. They're critical assessments by some of the nation's top military leaders, who cite mistakes and poor management that have resulted in a botched war effort. According to The Washington Post, Batiste said the Bush administration has violated such military fundamentals as unity of effort and unity of command.

According to The New York Times, an internal staff report from the U.S. Embassy and military command in Iraq says stability in the country's 18 provinces is crumbling, with the situation in six rated as serious and one cited as "critical." Warnings of conflicts among sectarian and ethnic fringes are increasing, even in provinces that U.S. officials have described as nonviolent.

The retired generals have aired their concerns on national television, on radio and in the nation's largest newspapers and news magazines. About the only people who seem unable - or more aptly, unwilling - to hear are Rumsfeld himself and President Bush.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday that Bush "believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period in our nation's history." It is challenging. More than 3,000 Americans have died in this blundered war, and the men running the show insist on "staying the course."