'Many in the US Military Think Bush and Cheney Are Out of Control'

[babylonsister]

'Many in the US Military Think Bush and Cheney Are Out of Control'

In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, the Amsterdam-based military historian Gabriel Kolko talks about the prospect of war with Iran and argues that many in the US military now view the White House as being 'out of control.'

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Kolko, editorials in US papers like the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard and the National Review are pushing for military action against Iran. How does the leadership in the US military view such a conflict?

Gabriel Kolko: The American military is stretched to the limit. They are losing both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Everything is being sacrificed for these wars: money, equipment in Asia, American military power globally, etc. Where and how can they fight yet another? The Pentagon is short of money for procurement, and that is what so many people in the military bureaucracy live for. The situation will be far worse in the event of a war with Iran.

Many in the American military have learned the fundamental dilemma of modern warfare: More money and better weapons don't mean that you win. IEDs, which cost so little to make, are defeating a military which spends billions of dollars per month. IEDS are so adaptable that each new strategy developed by the United States to counter them is answered by the Iraqi insurgents. The Israelis were also never quite able to counter IEDs. One report quotes an Israeli military engineer who said the

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are people in the Pentagon getting nervous about how influential voices in the White House continue to push for conflict with Iran?

Kolko: Many in the US military think Bush and Cheney are out of control. They are rebelling against Bush and Cheney. Washington Post reporter Dana Priest recently said in an interview that she believed the US military would revolt and refuse to fly missions against Iran if the White House issued such orders.

more...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,511492,00.html

[Kolesar]

1. More money and big budget satellites don't mean you have intelligence, either...eom

[bdamomma]

2. well if they are out of control they need to be removed

they are our national security threat.

[Cha]

14. This is the heart of the matter, isn't it?

This is the logical next step in a responsible Nation.

[bdamomma]

15. logic is not in their dictionary.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. A military coup... that is why Sanches's words were so

interesting

They perked my ears...

[Cha]

20. I'll bet it did,

nadine!

[BanzaiBonnie]

3. I sure wish we could count on that

We have a lot of good military leaders even though many top men have left the service. They know the real scoop.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. While I'm not the Pentagon's biggest fan, I'd love to see them rebel and

refuse to start something with Iran. A military coup would be better for the country than allowing Cheney to have his way!

[jojo54]

5. It took them 3 1/2 years to figure that out? eom

[NNN0LHI]

6. The astonishing part is that they all don't know this

That goes for their parents too.

Don

[EnviroBat]

7. Meanwhile, Blackwater is getting Fat Contracts...

and buying up more and more equipment every day... Hmmm. Odd?

[leftchick]

8. the warmongers never think about the consequences.....

<snip>

Kolko: Iran fought Iraq for about a decade and lost hundreds of thousands of men. Perhaps they will roll over, but it is not likely. There are a number of tiny islands in the gulf they have had years to fortify. Can 90 percent of their weapons be knocked out? Even if this United States could achieve this, the remainder would be sufficient to sink many boats and tankers. The amount of oil exported through the gulf would thereby be reduced, perhaps cease altogether. This would only strengthen American rivals like Russia and Venezuela.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But what about the bunker-buster bombs? Wouldn't that be a technology which Iran could not match?

Kolko: Bunker busters are only able to knock out so many bunkers, but alas, not all. If bunker-buster bombs are nuclear they are very useful, but they are also radioactive. In addition to killing Iranians, they may also kill friends and nearby US soldiers.

[saltpoint]

9. What silliness. Everyone knows Mssrs. Bush and Cheney are the soul of

restraint and diplomacy.

And they have consistently surrounded themselves and made Cabinet appointments reflecting this reasoned, cool-browed temperament.

The John Bolton appointment for U.N. Ambassador, for example. The man's a sage. A peace-seeker. A builder of good faith in the global community if ever there was one.

Those military personnel who are expressing doubts about the Bush administration must be phoney soldiers.

[Andy Canuck]

11. and, no doubt, illegitimate receivers of SCHIP funding.

[saltpoint]

16. Yes! Liberal scoundrels! Sean Hannity will be outraged!

[MLFerrell]

10. The assholes in Washington are about to learn a harsh historical lesson...

Once you lose your military backing, you're FUCKED!

[spanone]

12. what took them so long to come to that conclusion??????

[Cha]

13. It's not like bush/cheney haven't

given them enough evidence to think that and Beyond.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Put this together with what sanches said

and why his words made my ears perk up

[HamdenRice]

19. Mind-boggling passages --->

So I regard the Israelis as opponents of a war with Iran which would involve them. They certainly noticed how during the war with Lebanon the Palestinians in Gaza used the opportunity to increase pressure on Israel from the south. Israelis opposed the Iraq war because it would lead to Iranian domination of the region, which it has.

Hence, the report that Cheney is trying to use Israel, if it is true, shows that he's confused and quite mad -- but also unusually isolated.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But what about the Democratic Party? Isn't it in the interest of the Democratic Party to do everything they can to end the war?

Kolko: All three leading Democratic Party presidential hopefuls -- Clinton, Obama and Edwards -- refused at a debate recently in New Hampshire to promise to pull the US military out of Iraq by the beginning of 2013. The American public is a small factor, as elections have repeatedly shown, but may play some role also. As the last election proved, anyone who thinks Democrats will stop wars is fooling him- or herself. But war with Iran would require new authorizations. Then the Congress would, potentially, be very important.

<end quote>

So we are only a small factor in influencing the mad men.