Rumsfeld's roll call

By Lee Russ

Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 04:53 PM

Former (retired) military men of the rank of General who have publicly called for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, as of today:

Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004-2005

Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, director of operations on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2000 to 2002

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who oversaw the training of Iraqi army troops in 2003-2004

Retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni,  who was the chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, in the late 1990s

And the Washington Post doesn't think this will be the final tally:

Other retired generals said they think it is unlikely that the denunciations of Rumsfeld and his aides will cease.

"A lot of them are hugely frustrated," in part because Rumsfeld gave the impression that "military advice was neither required nor desired" in the planning for the Iraq war, said retired Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson, who until last year commanded Marine forces in the Pacific Theater. He said he is sensing much anger among Americans over the administration's handling of the war and thinks the continuing criticism from military professionals will fuel that anger as the November elections approach. He declined to discuss his own views.

Another retired officer, Army Maj. Gen. John Riggs, said he believes that his peer group is "a pretty closemouthed bunch" but that, even so, his sense is "everyone pretty much thinks Rumsfeld and the bunch around him should be cleared out."

He emphatically agrees, Riggs said, explaining that he believes Rumsfeld and his advisers have "made fools of themselves, and totally underestimated what would be needed for a sustained conflict."

And still the right wing shills beat the "it's the media" drums.  And still over 30% of the public supports Bush in his Iraq "efforts."  And still Bush and Co. claim that the decisions in Iraq have comported with the opinions of the military on the ground.

We're not just in a test of wills in the current political arena; we're in a test of sanity, and I don't think we're winning so far.

Update [2006-4-14 17:9:51 by Lee Russ]:Out of date already. Since I researched the post, two more retired Generals have added their names to the "bye-bye Rummy" chorus:

Retired Army Major Gen. John Riggs, who virtually called for Rummy's resignation in the quote above. NOTE: TPM Cafe notes that "Last year Riggs was stripped of one of his stars and was given 24 hours to leave the army because of infractions so minor they were not even placed on his record, according to the Baltimore Sun. The general?s supporters say the reason was his public criticism of Rumsfeld?s war plans in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack, former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.