General Sanchez Sounds a Little Bitter
by Big Dog on Oct 13, 2007 at 09:27 Military
Retired General Ricardo Sanchez, who was the commanding general of all the troops in Iraq, has spoken publicly giving his opinions about the war and the way it was handled. General Sanchez is entitled to his opinion and he knows a lot more than I do about running a war but he seems to have placed blame on everyone but himself.
General Sanchez said that the war was a “nightmare with no end in sight” and blamed Congress, the State Department, the Bush Administration and any number of other government agencies. He said we did not have enough troops and equipment going in (I agree with that) and that surge was a desperate attempt to make up for misguided policies. That might be partly true because we should have had more troops from the start. However, the assessment of General Petraeus is slightly different and a bit more optimistic, probably because he has been in Iraq recently and Sanchez has been out for a little while.
Sanchez is entitled to his opinion and I think he might be a little bitter because his was a rocky command. This is not to say that he is a bad leader, I do not know him, but he had to spend part of his time fending off the problems associated with Abu Ghraib. He was eventually cleared of any wrong doing but that had to have consumed a lot of his time, time that should have been spent leading the troops in war. I can certainly understand his sentiments and his anger at the government and while I disagree with him on what actions he could have taken while in command to let his superiors know how he felt, I certainly understand why he is bitter. The problem is, General Sanchez placed blame squarely on everyone in government. He picked the administration, Congress, and other government entities. However, the left will cherry pick his comments and make the criticism all about President Bush. This statement will be used in a Democratic political campaign to blast the right:
“From a catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan, to the administration’s latest surge strategy, this administration has failed to employ and synchronize the political, economic and military power,†Sanchez said.
And this one will be ignored:
“The administration, Congress and the entire inter-agency, especially the State Department, must shoulder the responsibility for this catastrophic failure and the American people must hold them accountable.â€
Mark my words, the first quote will be used by MorOn.org and Democratic candidates to show how terribly the administration did and will ignore the quote that places blame on everyone, including a Congress that takes decisions based upon polls and fails to actually lead. It is unwise to give the enemy anything that can be used as propaganda and Sanchez’s words can be blasted all over al Jazeera and at the DNC (the same entity).
The interesting thing is that the very groups who will latch on to the words of General Sanchez and hail him as a truth telling hero who thinks the war is a failure and use this to claim they support the troops are the ones who attacked General Petraeus because he did not say what they liked.
I wonder if General Sanchez is thinking about running for office or if he is lining up a gig as a war analyst at some cable news network because he has come out with both barrels blazing. I am not sure Sanchez would be good for political office and I would be weary about voting for him (though he would not be running in my state anyway) based upon his admitted silence about things he thought were wrong because I think leadership involves expressing those opinions.
I wish Sanchez well in whatever he does but I think he might have done the troops more good if he had spoken up a few years ago rather than wait. I also think pointing the fingers in every direction except inward is just a defense mechanism to deflect some of the blame that certainly rests upon his shoulders.
If you fail to speak up about something that you know is wrong you are just as responsible for it as the folks who did it.
Sources:
My Way News
Stars and Stripes
Tags: Abu Ghraib, Commentary, Iraq, Pace, Petraeus, Sanchez, war
“…I think he might have done the troops more good if he had spoken up a few years ago rather than wait… If you fail to speak up about something that you know is wrong you are just as responsible for it as the folks who did it.”–Big Dog
* * *
What “folks” and what “it” are you referring to? Better yet, what responsibility are you referring to? Try to focus: The now more-than-several US Generals who’ve retired were not permitted to say anything against the war or against the President while they were still a part of the US military. It’s sort of a rule, dude. Sanchez himself says, “… it [is] not the place of active-duty officers to challenge lawful orders from the civilian authorities.” Why isn’t it “the place”? Because if he had spoken up, citizens like you and President Bush would have at the least gone all-out to discredit hijm (as you are now doing) or had him executed for treason or non-patriotism or whatever it is you presume to whistle in the dark about these days while your country is falling apart.
Don’t be small-minded. Even if you don’t listen to enlisted men, branding them all as phonies or cowards, take a look at those ex-officers who’ve come forward now as veterans (read: have actual wartime experience) and voiced their opinions. How many of them will it take for you to realize that you were and are wrong? All of them?
Liberals are so predictable. They were ready to put this man in front of a firing squad when the Abu Ghraib story broke. Now that he’s turned his back on his troops, his mission, his Commander-in-Chief and his country in a pathetic, transparent attempt to rehabilitate his reputation, liberals will turn him into a national hero and genius extraordinaire!
He just BETRAYED his men, the American people and the President. You don’t merit the continued respect of conservatives and supporters of this war effort for that. You’re probably right, Big Dog, he’s vying for a job as an analyst with NBC Nightly News as a Military Commentator, no doubt. First he had to trash all of those he faithfully served and served with. It’s despicable!
When did the military start promoting folks with such questionable character?
Hey Clara, I don’t know what planet you are from but I am a retired enlisted man and I listen to the troops.
I am well aware that Generals are not supposed to publicly air their concerns. That is why they have a chain of command and is why we have generals to go to senior leadership and say that they do not think something is correct and needs to be fixed.
You are the one who should focus. I agreed with Sanchez on some of his points and also said the Abu Ghraib did not allow him to focus. The fact is, he was able to talk to the Sec Def and the President about his concerns and he did not. Regardless of the rule, if something is wrong you discuss it. If you do not, you are part of the problem.
I also no that no one at this site branded any real soldier as phony or a coward (by real we mean who served not who pretended to serve). We mean it the same way that Rush did and if you are not intelligent enough to understand what he meant then blame the public school.
The question is, how many of the troops who are saying we are doing a good job and how many former officers who say the same thing will it take for you to understand the concept of victory. We can argue about whether we should have gone there or not but now that we are there victory is the only option.
Thanks, but the next time I need military advice I believe I will ask for it and when I do it will be from someone who has MORE service time than I have.
The (no) Good General certainly has NO honor regardless of his intellectual capacity. The troops he led are still on the battlefield. He just trashed them, their leaders and their mission. That is simply NOT done in the military, retired or not. Anyone with military honor knows that. This guy has ulterior motives, extremely selfish ones.
What Retired Lt. Gen. Sanchez has just done is so wrong, there are no words to describe just how much. He deserves our scorn and ridicule for the rest of his days. HIS men are still fighting and dying, even if he is far from danger. He should have held his tongue until this was over. Nothing good will come of his sorry words.
[…] General Sanchez Sounds a Little Bitter – Big Dogs Weblog […]
Did somebody get passed over for a 4th star?????????
Poor snookums!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m retired from active service, so what are the general and the left wing media going to do? Sue me. I have two good law firms, Lee-Enfield and O.F. Mossberg and Sons.
Give it a try.
I was a bit perturbed reading about the comments from General Sanchez, until I found the entire transcript of his speech.
As usual, the left cherry picked a few sentences and totally missed th gist of the entire speech. In it, the first half is ripping the media apart. Although he has harsh words for the administration, Congress and both political party’s received their fair share as well. General Sanchez Speech
As we should expect, they left out a whole lot.
I agree Lew. I also agree that Sanchez might be a little bitter because of all the bad things that happened on his watch and the fact he was passed over for his 4th star. He is entitled to say what he wants but it might be a lot better to do it after the troops come home. Maybe he should have written a book instead.
The media took out the part blasting them…
No argument from me, BigDog. As a General Officer, Sanchez should realize how bitterly divided the lamestream media has made us as they push their leftist agenda forward. He should know what can and will demoralize the Troops and acted accordingly.
Then again, since he was in Command for some time, I also ask why he didn’t take the initiative and institute some of the policies he complains weren’t put forth. Seems General Petraeus has been at least somewhat able to do that.
Ulitmately, he does sound somewhat bitter. Instead of lashing out for being passed over for the fourth star, maybe he should follow the advice given for others and look within to see why.
But, he did make the inflammatory remarks and the only counter method I know of to to defuse them is to make known the harser criticisms he leveled againt the rest, especially the bitter partisanship within Congress instead of support for the Troops.
I’m not inclined to cut Retired Lt. Gen. Sanchez some slack because he also trashed the mainstream media and the Congress along with his troops and the President. He was ranked high enough to know all about politics and the pitfalls of saying the wrong things. The statements he made may have been cherrypicked, but he knew that would happen and didn’t give a darn. I’m positively THREW with giving polished professionals, who should and do know better, the benefit of the doubt. This man betrayed his men, his President and his country, period, end of story!
The comments on Gen. Sanchez’ statements speeks directly to what is America’s problem. People believe that because they supported someone for a position that they have an obligation to defend the person they favored for a certain position. You help a person get a job. But his performance keeps the job for him. There is no one in America, in their right mind, who believes that George Bush’s performance has been acceptable. Just like there was no one in America who believed that Bill Clinton’s performance with respect to the Monica kid was acceptable. Call it like it is and stop lying to yourself. These guys have disgraced the presidency of the United States of America. In a country with more than 300 million people we can do better. Deal with the truth and stop trying to sell your guy. America can do better but it won’t until you (football cheerleadering) people realized how and why you choose leaders.
AC,
Part of what is wrong is that people like you read one post and make suppositions. I have gone against many of the things that our president has been for, especially the immigration issue.
We can debate all day about whether it was right to go into Iraq but we are there now and we must win.
As for the presidents, Clinton was disgraceful in more than just the Monica deal. Just in the spirit of fairness..
Also, we choose from what we have. Bush was a better choice than Gore or Kerry but certainly not the best choice in this country. We will not get regular people in there because both parties in the ruling class have set up a system to prevent it.
Alright Big Dog, you do not have to ask me but I will tell you anyway. I am a retired US Army Sergeant Major, who served 26 years and my last assignment I was assigned to III Corps Headqurters, Fort Hood, Texas, at the beginning of our senseless attack on Iraq. I was part of the planning and it made me sick each day I went to briefings hearing what was being planned. Just like generals, Sergents Majors are briefed on how to answer any questions asked and or how not to answer questions. That is and always has been the way it is. Prior to my retirement, they were even telling the poor privates not to answers questions, but to run to their NCOs. If you were in the military you should know as active duty soldiers we are not allowed to speak out against our political leaders, especially the president. If you want the real truth you talk to soldiers who are no longer on active duty and they are not afraid to say how they truly feel. I now live in the Fort Hood community and still talk to friends and soldiers when they return from Iraq. Not one has told me one good thing about Iraq. Because they can confide in me, I will tell you what I hear from ALL of them.
It is no better than the first tour I was there. We are in a now win situation. We are going to be over there forever. We should never have gone over there. The Iraq people are split down the middle about whether they want us there or not. I will do anything to keep from having to go back to Iraq.
I can go on but I will stop there. What General Sanchez has done, is admit his butt was wrong for not speaking out earlier. A great general, General Eric Shinseki and several other generals retired quietly before this war began. They retired because the did not support this war and could not support are so-called president. In my 26 years I had never seen so many generals retire in such a short amount of time. None of those generals have come out and publicly criticize the war and to the best of my knowledge it ONLY has to do with supporting the soldiers by not saying anything. This president has made it impossible for anyone to speak their mind because he has sold so many people in this country on the idea that if you speak out against the war, you are speaking out against the soldiers.
Many of these generals make a lot of money speaking to groups, writing books, and other ventures. But none will speak out because of Bush and because of their concern for a continued success in making money other than their retirement.
Now you have heard it from a senior ranking NCO and you can read into that what you want to. It is just too bad no other generals have the intestinal fortitude to say enough is enough and come out and speak what they really feel.
I do not know what your rank was or how many years you served, but unless you were where I was at and where I am at now, you cannot tell me a damn thing.
Also you must be out of your mind if you believe this country had no better candidate than George W. Bush. He is a disgrace and I believe anyone, especially Al Gore would have made a better president than Bush. For now, no one, not even a Republican, would have been worse for this country than Bush. For those of you too stupid to see how bad this man is, I feel for you.
SGM (Ret) James S. Zapp, Jr.
SGM Zapp,
First of all thank you for your service. Now that I have done that we need to have a little chat. We can discuss the idea of whether we should have gone in or not all our lives but we are there and we cannot leave in defeat. If you think we should pull our troops out in defeat and allow the Islomofascists to declare victory than I am sorry to see they ever made you an NCO.
1SG, 24 years though I think I retired a little before you so I am not impressed that I heard it from a Senior Ranking NCO. SGMs with opinions are a dime a dozen. I know that our soldiers are not allowed to speak out to the media but you cannot tell me a general in charge of all the troops could not speak out to the COC and express his concerns. If you want to make an impact you write those concerns in a memo and send them up the chain. Then you keep your copy so later when they disavow you have proof.
I thing Sanchez did a good job of blasting all sides in this issue but I think doing it while we are in the middle of the war is hazardous to our troops.
I can tell you a damn thing and a bit more. Do not come here and call me stupid. And don’t act like you are the only NCO who talks to troops. I talk to them all the time and I get both ends of the issue (pro and con). Just because you lost your will do not insinuate that everyone else has. What we need to to is stabilize the place and get out. Guys like you are no better than John Kerry. You want to leave like Vietnam so we can be losers. Then, the next time the Muzzies act up and we need to go to war, others will have to go because people like you failed to complete the mission.
I have my issues with this president but if you feel Al Gore would have been better, they should take away whatever drugs they gave you.
And Shinseki was not against the war, he was against going in with too few troops.
Good Morning Big Dog:
Explain something to me, please. The War on Terror isn’t simply a matter of defeating AQI and the insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban fighters and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, is it? Islamic terrorists are trained, supported, funded and reside throughout the Middle East, the Philippines, Africa, Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union, Indonesia, the Balkans, etc. There are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. There are terrorist among almost all of these nations, why would we leave after we’ve achieved victory in Iraq?
What is this FIXATION with leaving Iraq? (For that matter, what was the fixation with leaving Viet Nam, where we went left in defeat?) We still occupy American military bases in Germany, Japan and Korea to this very DAY. That is what VICTORY is. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t a Democrat the Commander-in-Chief for those conflicts? Have Democrats forgotten how to win or just lost the courage to fight?