Gen. Zinni 60 Minutes Sunday: Pentagon "screwed up" Iraq war.

[Renew Deal]

Happy Viewing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

[DEMVET-USMC]

1. Gen. Zinni is a true patriot.

This ship of fools we have running our Nation have gotten us into deep shit. They were warned all along by men such as Gen. Zinni, Richard Clarke, Ambassador Wilson, and on and on. Yet they chose to listen to thier fellow chickenhawks and ignore those who worked a lifetime learning about such things. Bush and the rest of his chickenshit buddies are going down. ...Oscar

[wtmusic]

2. Another character assassination target

what's taking the administration so long? They haven't let the dogs out yet.

[demosincebirth]

34. They are checking their republican hand book under Z

[physioex]

3. Don't forgot Shinseki (sp).......

Another true patriot. He foretold more accurately what would happen if we went into Iraq. After that nut Wolfie went and testied against him, he left the military like many others.

[Trajan]

31. Well said Demvet ....

And welcome to DU ....

The professionals, who are professional because they are competent ... THOSE professionals were cast out with extreme prejudice when they raised alarms over the half-baked war plans of the PNAC ..... Defense, CIA and State: ALL were affected by these purges (of realist careerists) and promotions (of neocon acolytes) during the run up for war ...

Zinna was superb, and completely credible ...

His mention that Scharwzkopf was also alarmed by the Neocon juggernaut should give pause to even the most ardent Bush supporters ... There cannot now be ANYONE who doesnt understand that:

1) The plans as formulated were completely and utterly wrong ...

2) The abilities of the civilian leadership of the military MUST be called into question for its incompetence

3) Those who recognized the faulty strategies were systematically deposed by a party of incompetent neophytes ....

4) Rumsfeld and his coterie have failed in so many ways that resignation is the only real option for the WH ....

This is just too much to bear: the WH MUST do something ... they are in a death spiral ....

[RafterMan]

4. While he's there

I hope he mentions something about how Bush sent him over to the ME on a peace mission then sawed off the limb behind him.

Zinni's been on the right side of this since the beginning. I wonder how long before we start hearing whispers that he has an anger problem and is dangerously unstable?

[VolcanoJen]

5. When? A: By the time the Sunday Morning Political News Cycle.

Zinni speaking on the record to 60 Minutes, the host of other Administration "disappointments" such as Clarke, Wilson and Woodward, represents more trouble for the Administration.

I imagine they'll be in pre-emptive spin-o-rama by Sunday morning.

[physioex]

6. It's gettin harder....

Bunnypants mentioned that the "rape rooms" and "torture" was over. Yet we find they are, just "open under new management". This kind of bad publicity is very difficult to spin away. Walrus Rove and Skank Hughes need to put in some over time.

[VolcanoJen]

7. Jaysus! That was easily the most incoherent thing I'v ever written on DU!

Just re-read that post, and rather than editing, I say... Forgive me, my friends? It was a long, fruitless night at work. The economy SUCKS, regardless of what you've heard. We're really feeling it at your local taverns, nightclubs and restaurants.

Sorry about the incoherency. I was no "C" Student. Regardless of what the President says, you should expect more. :D

[physioex]

9. All of us here at DU get one Bunnypants moment. Yours is up. EOM

:hi:

[rumguy]

8. Did I read that Gen. Zinni is a possible VP for Kerry?

[kvnf]

10. How about Sec. of Defense? (nt)

[robbedvoter]

13. Nah. Only those in W's reelection committee qualify.

:wtf:

[nostamj]

16. IIRC he can't be SecDef

on edit: OOPS! this was meant to be a response to #10, re: SecDef - subj line edited. sorry!


has to be out of active military for 10 years.

same reason Wes Clark is out for that office.

[Don_G]

19. A New SecDef Is Being Discussed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x574324

[dand]

11. General Zinni is a true patriot,

Kerry needs people like him, I hope Kerry gets off his Ass and starts taking advantage of people like Zinni, Wilson, Clark and Shinsecki.

[Solidarity]

17. Patriot General? Hardly

Kerry may need people like the good General but the American people sure don't!

"He still believes the situation is salvageable if the United States can communicate more effectively with the Iraqi people and demonstrate a better image to them.

The enlistment of the U.N. and other countries to participate in the mission is also crucial, he says. Without these things, says Zinni, 'We are going to be looking for quick exits. I don't believe we're there now, and I wouldn't want to see us fail here.'

Also central to success in Iraq is more troops, from the United States and especially other countries, to control violence and patrol borders, he says."

Is that what a patriot General would advocate?

[dand]

18. The alternative to people like him is mayhem,

WTF do you advocate?

[Solidarity]

20. Good Question

Without cussing or loosing my temper I will tell you. I advocate what most American people surely now support. Bring our troops home. All of them. Is the "patriot" General opposed to that? Seems he is. Wants NATO and others troops in Iraq along with beefed up US forces in Iraq.

Is that what you also want?

[dand]

21. Most people definitely do not want to leave without

cleaning up the Bush mess, or at least helping to clean it up. Most people do not want unsupervised slaughter to result in our abandoning our positions. ( No cussing or losing my temper either.)

[Solidarity]

22. We Want A Supervised Slaughter?

"Most people definitely do not want to leave without cleaning up the Bush mess, or at least helping to clean it up."

Most of those people are Republicans! Seriously, I don't think most people are interested in "cleaning up" his mess. They just want our soldiers brought home from Iraq.

"Most people do not want unsupervised slaughter to result in our abandoning our positions."

So most of us want a supervised slaughter? That's what's happening now. Seriously, most people just want to bring our troops home now. Not one more GI should lose their life for a lie.

[dand]

23. Our Soldiers and Marines are in a bad situation because of

lousy leadership, we all want them to come home safely, they are all that is preventing anarchy in a lawless hell hole, we need to hand over the country to the UN no strings attached, and assist them in re-building. America will take a hundred years to live this disgraceful situation down, our credibility is ruined, it would be worse if we did what you proposed.

[Renew Deal]

12. kick

:kick:

[Solidarity]

15. Screwed-Up?

Some are angry because the Bush government has "screwed-up" their war against Iraq. Do others here agree with the General and want to see the occupation of Iraq succeed?

[graham67]

14. Another....

blow-dried Napoleon. :evilgrin:

[Wonk]

24. kick

[henslee]

25. Zinni: "...the course is headed over Niagara Falls" eom

[grytpype]

26. Zinni provided an Iraq plan calling for 300,000 troops!

It wasn't just Shinseki saying this to the media... according to the link, Zinni when he was head of CENTCOM was asked to prepare a plan for the invasion of Iraq, which called for 300,000 troops! Bush and Vlad Rumsfailed were totally 100% on notice that their 180,000 troop plan was inadequate, according to their own commander-in-chief at CENTCOM!

One of Zinni's responsibilities while commander-in-chief at Centcom was to develop a plan for the invasion of Iraq. Like his predecessors, he subscribed to the belief that you only enter battle with overwhelming force.

But Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld thought the job could be done with fewer troops and high-tech weapons.

How many troops did Zinni’s plan call for? “We were much in line with Gen. Shinseki's view,” says Zinni. “We were talking about, you know, 300,000, in that neighborhood.”

What difference would it have made if 300,000 troops had been sent in, instead of 180,000?

“I think it's critical in the aftermath, if you're gonna go to resolve a conflict through the use of force, and then to rebuild the country,” says Zinni.

[Guaranteed]

27. Andy Rooney was EXCELLENT tonight...even talked about

how it seemed like our society is falling apart- like Rome.

[demosincebirth]

35. Andy Rooney..

I wanted to jump and yell "right on"!

[Wonk]

28. mp3 & vp3 video here for those who missed it

General Zinni interview
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x9134

Andy Rooney was good this week, too.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1652916&mesg_id=1653150&page=

[Cleita]

29. Another kick for the left coast. n/t

:kick:

[Cleita]

30. I'm kind of stunned that when he named the PNAC cabal, and

he said it's well know in Washington, that he didn't say "Project For a New American Century", when he named names. This is like not mentioning that Hitler, Goebbles, Goering etc. just came out of a vacuum and not the Nazi party. Other than that I think he really stuck his neck out. I think he should have said it though.

[neebob]

32. I thought the same thing

and wondered why they left Cheney out. Anyone else notice that?

[Cleita]

33. He also left Rumsfeld off of the list although he criticized him

as Secretary of Defense.