Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"According to recent leaks from the Pentagon, Gen. Tommy Franks and other uniformed war planners argued with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over how many troops and how much armor to commit to the war," writes Lucian K. Truscott IV. "The soldiers wanted more of both," but "Rumsfeld was reportedly among the influential group on the administration war team who predicted that the Iraqi army would quickly fold after it had been shocked and awed. ... The question is, why didn't the generals insist on the force structure they were correct in thinking would be necessary? The fact that more than two-thirds of senior military officers identify themselves as conservative Republicans - and the true percentage is probably a lot higher than that - might have something to do with the military's lack of backbone. ... The lack of backbone in the top ranks of Pentagon generals when dealing with their Republican friends may cause unnecessary deaths on the battlefield, a high price to pay for a military that is finally happy with the politics of its civilian leaders, but must deal uneasily with their lack of military expertise."
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