The Progess Report

OCTOBER 15, 2007

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Ali Frick, and Jeremy Richmond Contact Us | Tell-a-Friend | Archives | Permalink

IRAQ

'Nightmare With No End In Sight'

Last Friday, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez blasted the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, calling it a "nightmare with no end in sight." Sanchez, who has received praise from President Bush for his "strong leadership" and for doing "a fabulous job," joins a growing list of military officials who have attacked the Iraq war. His critique is notable not only because he is the most senior military officer to speak out against the war so far but also because he served as the top American commander in Iraq from 2003-2004. "From a catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan to the administration's latest surge strategy, this administration has failed to employ and synchronize its political, economic and military power," Sanchez said. "There has been a glaring, unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders. ... There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight." He added, "Who will demand accountability for the failure of our national political leaders involved in the management of this war? They have unquestionably been derelict in the performance of their duty."

MILITARY OFFICALS AGREE WITH SANCHEZ: Sanchez joins the "more than 20 retired U.S. generals [who] have broken ranks with the culture of salute and keep it in the family" to speak out publicly against the war. Maj. Gen. John Batiste said last year, "I think the current administration repeatedly ignored sound military advice and counsel with respect to the war plans. ... And military leaders of all ranks, particularly the senior military, have an obligation in a democracy to say something about it." On CNN's Late Edition yesterday, two other retired generals agreed with Sanchez's main indictments of the Bush administration's war policy. "This war has been done on the cheap from the very beginning," retired U.S. Army Brigadier General David Grange said. "So I think yes, the whole country, all the leadership in the country is at fault for not putting the nation at war to accomplish this mission." Criticism has not been confined to retired generals. At Fort Leavenworth, KS -- "the intellectual center of the United States Army" -- young officers are undergoing an "outspoken re-examination of their role in Iraq," questioning who "deserved blame" for the war's "major errors."

ABU GHRAIB LINGERS: Sanchez has a mixed record when it comes to Iraq. A memorandum written and signed by Sanchez on Sept. 14, 2003, contained as an enclosure the specific interrogation techniques authorized to be used in Iraq, and also noted that these methods were potentially in contravention of the Geneva Conventions. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sanchez denied signing off on these interrogation methods. He was the top military commander during the Abu Ghraib scandal, though he denied knowing of the abuse and maintains that he moved quickly to investigate it when he found out. An internal investigation cleared him of charges relating to the incident. To maintain the credibility of his current criticisms of the Iraq war policy, Sanchez will need to address his record -- and his current views -- on torture.

CONSERVATIVES DISMISS SANCHEZ: When asked about Sanchez's remarks on Fox News Sunday, right-wing pundit Bill Kristol dismissed the former general's opinion out of hand. "He's simply wrong about what's happening in Iraq today," said Kristol. Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer called Sanchez "a distraction." "Look. General Sanchez, who presided over the disastrous first year of occupation, criticizing the Bush administration is like George McClellan criticizing the Lincoln administration conduct of the Civil War when he was in command," Krauthammer said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also refused to respond to Sanchez's substantive criticisms, and instead pointed the finger back at the general himself. "I appreciate his service," Graham told CNN, "but Abu Ghraib got out of control under his watch, the war in general got out of control under his watch. And it's not time to blame people, but his criticism is a bit astounding to me given his role in the war itself."

TIME TO RESET THE MISSION: Sanchez declared that "continued manipulations and adjustments to our military strategy will not achieve victory" and that the best the United States could hope for is to "stave off defeat." "Given the lack of a grand strategy we must move rapidly to minimize that force presence and allow the Iraqis maximum ability to exercise their sovereignty in achieving a solution," he said. The Center for American Progress has outlined just such a progressive strategy to end the war, "Strategic Reset," which calls for a phased redeployment of troops out of Iraq coupled with a "diplomatic surge" to bring Iraqis and neighbors in the region together.