Patters

What he says is very interesting, but it's also interesting that the conservative MSM didn't print this.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/22/...conservatives/

Over a year and a half ago, I made a gut-wrenching decision to leave the Army in order to speak out about the war in Iraq. I turned my back on over 31 years of service and what by all accounts would have been a great career. I realized that I was in a unique position to speak out on behalf of Soldiers and their families. I had a moral obligation and duty to do so. My family and I left the only life we knew and entered the political debate. As a two-time combat veteran, I understand the value of thorough planning and deliberate execution. I understand what it takes to win. As a life-long Republican, I am prepared to carry on with the debate for as long as necessary. I have been speaking out for the past 17 months and there is no turning back.

As a conservative, I am all for a strong military and setting the conditions for success. America goes to war to win. I am not anti-war and am committed to winning the struggle against world-wide Islamic extremism. But, I am outraged that elected officials of my own party do not comprehend the predicament we are in with a strategy in the Middle East that lacks focus and is all but relying on the military to solve the diplomatic, political, and economic Rubik’s Cube that defines Iraq. Our dysfunctional interagency process in Washington DC lacks leadership and direction. Many conservatives in Congress have allowed the charade to go on for too long.

It is disappointing that so many elected representatives of my party continue to blindly support the administration rather than doing what is in the best interests of our country. Traditionally, my party has maintained a conservative view on questions regarding our Armed Forces. For example, we commit our military only when absolutely necessary. In the same way conservatives have always argued against government excess in social programs, the lives our young men and women in uniform, our most precious resource, are not to be used on wars of choice or for nation building. The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz taught us that wars are to be fought only as a last resort–the extension of politics by other means.

These principles are apparently not understood by many of the Republicans in our Congress. Besides the fact that many conservatives allowed President Bush to jump head-first into a war of choice, the bullheadedness of Congressional Republicans who argue for staying the course runs contrary to conservative values. Many politicians of my party continue to argue that we must liberally use up whatever our military has left. Bottom line, the Republican Congress of the last six years abrogated its Constitutional duty and share in the responsibility for the debacle in Iraq.

ArmyPatsFan

Interesting comments from a well respected retired Officer. There is no doubt that the top military brass has seen a huge shake-up over the past 4-6years.

__________________
"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of bull****."
- General George Patton Jr (...hmm maybe BB)

bmf31c

GEN Batiste was a hugely popular commander here in Europe, it's a shame to see a guy like that run out of the service. He could be a top level commander somewhere providing excellent leadership, instead of fighting to get his opinion published in a free country.

PressCoverage

that's right... 64% of conservative experts believe the surge is having no affect or a negative impact ... wow...

DarrylS

Shh, do not tell the Bush apologists.. they might be speechless, oh wait a minute the poll will be flawed and just another example of the bias of the "drive by media".

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

Harry Boy

All wars have a few of these people, he has his opinoins about Iraq just like the rest of us, he is in a position to make his heard, the Anti Bush, Anti War Peacenic Types love to Quote him because they LOVE what he has to say.

This man is very fortunate to be an American, if he were serving under one of the Left Wing Democrats BELOVED DICTATORS or if he were an officer in the Al Queda Army he would have been dead five minutes after he made his little speech.
GOD BLESS AMERICA FOR ALLOWING THE *****-HEADS TO FREELY SPEAK

God Is Great Death To Our Enemy

__________________
Harry Boy (Genius)

In The Absence Of Law And Order Society Will Surely Destroy Itself

Patriot_in_NY

Gen. Batiste choose to post this rant on thinkprogress.com

I don't care what kind of respectful career he's had. He's becoming a political schill... which is not only disappointing, but not altogether surprising (either). I had a lot of respect for him, and his credentials as a military mind are unquestioned. He may just be right, but in following a good deal of what what he's written in the past, the tone of this one is distinctly different. You can hear the bitterness for how he was treated by the administration and how the terms of his service closed. In many ways you can't blame the guy, but to now insert yourself into the political blogshere in order to "speak out". It's good he spoke his mind, but I don't think the analysis is altogether untainted with personal pain.

Our military is gutted, and on the verge of collapse after 4 years of conflict in Iraq and Afgahistan. How utterly pathetic (if true)........... I thought we had the greatest military in the world. If he's right........... we need to pull back and pull back now, retreat to our shores and forget about fighting future conflicts.

The plain truth is, we did not win this conflict, because we have NO COLLECTIVE POLITICAL WILL to win it, coupled with a serious VOID of solid leadership (from the administration down to the highest military commanders). We're just marking time.

It's over Johnny, bring em' home..............

Patters

Now you're getting the idea. That's part of the reality, whether you like it or not. Perhaps if we had launched the war under less dubious circumstances, there would have been greater support, but launching a war based on bad intelligence, lies, distortions, and exploitation of 9/11 just didn't sit well with lots of Americans, and now we are the majority. Politicians have to take into account political reality in a democracy, whether they like it or not.

Patriot_in_NY

I disagree.......... At the time of the war there was plenty of support. War, like football, is a performance activity, once we weren't performing (in the public's eye), support dwindled. We are an iPod society, we've become a population of impatience.

I'm coming to the realization, that we'll never have the political will against any a determined foe. Hell, we ain't got the political will to solve internal issue facing us............

I don't wanna minimize the soldiers we've lost in this conflict, as each one is probably a finer human being than I am, but look at the hoopla that occurs with ever death that happens. They are all sad and tragic, but war (any war, good or bad) is costly and people will die.

What are we approaching after 4 years, 4000 or so........ Do you realize that we lost that many in a 8 hour period on July 3, 1863. Hell, we lost nearly twice that number in 37 day period on some *****speck of an island in 1945. War is ugly, winning a war is even uglier. War is a serious business, you can't do it cheaply, not militarily or politically. We did, and it's one of my biggest complaints against this administration.

We don't have the stomach for war anymore ......... We didn't have it for Iraq, we didn't have it for Afghanistan (which was completely justified), and we didn't have it for Vietnam either. 9/11 or no, we don't have the stomach for it, and I wonder if we ever could?

Patriot_in_NY

I've known that for a long time. I just don't like to admit it to myself.