April 12, 2006

As Fred Kapln writes in Slate, the officer corps is getting restless. Take a look at the latest admission of regret in the pages of the latest edition of TIME, then ask yourself who you believe: the people who were asked to fight the war in Iraq or the selective reality of drunken, fawning partisans.

I now regret that I did not more openly challenge those who were determined to invade a country whose actions were peripheral to the real threat—al-Qaeda. … [T]he Pentagon's military leaders … with few exceptions, acted timidly when their voices urgently needed to be heard. When they knew the plan was flawed, saw intelligence distorted to justify a rationale for war, or witnessed arrogant micromanagement that at times crippled the military's effectiveness, many leaders who wore the uniform chose inaction. … It is time for senior military leaders to discard caution in expressing their views and ensure that the President hears them clearly. And that we won't be fooled again.
[Why Iraq Was a Mistake - TIME - 04-17-06]