Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez Slams Iraq Policies

Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the former top commander of coalition forces in Iraq, at a gathering of military reporters and editors in Arlington, Va., unleashed a blistering criticism of how the war in Iraq has been conducted.

Gen. Sanchez stated that the Bush administration was responsible for a “catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan” and denounced the current surge addition of American troops as a “desperate” move that would not achieve long-term stability. 

Gen Sanchez then went on the say that “after more than four years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn country or in the greater conflict against extremism,”

Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez is to date the highest ranking of a growing list of retired military officers to harshly criticize the way that the Bush administration has conducted the war. It is highly unusual for high ranking US officers, retired or not, to criticize their former civilian bosses. In the military troops are trained to follow orders no matter how ridiculous they may seem to be at the time.

In order to advance through the ranks an officer must show extreme loyalty to his country and to his superior officers time and time again. To be promoted to General or Admiral  the tradition of always demonstrating extreme loyalty must certainly extend up through the chain of command to the commander in chief.

That is why criticisms from top ranking former officers towards the strategies employed by the Bush administration in the conduct of the Iraq war should be taken so seriously. For Gen. Sanchez and other recently retired high level officers to publicly speak out goes directly against the grain of a 30 year or so career of intense loyalty to those above them in the chain of command, especially to the commander in chief.

When Gen. Sanchez says that the Bush administration’s handling of the war is “incompetent” and the result is “a nightmare with no end in sight” even far right wing war cheerleaders like Sean Hannity should sit up and listen. Especially when Gen. Sanchez goes on to say “there has been a glaring and unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders,” he said, adding that civilian officials have been “derelict in their duties” and guilty of a “lust for power.”

It is true that Gen. Sanchez was the commander of coalition forces when the Abu Ghraib scandal made the news. The scandal leaves him vulnerable to criticism that he is attempting to shift the blame from himself to the administration that ultimately replaced him as the commander in Iraq and declined to nominate him for a fourth star, forcing his retirement.

However, there are those who think that the Bush administration forced Gen Sanchez to retire early so that as the top commander in Iraq he would not be testifying before congress about the Abu Ghraib incident.

Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez retired in 2006. After a 33 year long and distinguished career as a professional soldier serving his country IMHO Gen. Sanchez is performing yet another valuable service by having the guts to speak out.

Yes, I know, it would have been more meaningful had Gen. Sanchez spoken out while he was still in uniform.  But one shouldn’t underestimate how difficult critizing those above you in the chain of command is while serving on active duty.

Just look at what happened to the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shineski, when he correctly as it turned out, said prior to the Iraq invasion that at least three to four hundred thousand troops would be needed to stabilize Iraq during an occupation phase. You may recall that Gen. Shineski was rewarded for his correct call by being forced to retire.

I know that publicly criticizing the commander in chief and other high ranking civilian government officials is a tough and risky thing even for an old retired soldier to do. Especially one who was a three star general and who would have earned his fourth star had he not had the misfortune to be the US commander in Iraq at the time that the Abu Ghraib story broke.

For Gen. Sanchez to speak out at all conditions in Iraq must have been and continue to be very bad indeed.

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