Truth In Retirement

Retirement was once characterized as "The golden years," now it's "And the truth will set you free." For instance, more and more retired generals are calling for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's retirement. It must be noted that Rumsfeld was one of the notorious warmongers who signed the 1/26/98 letter to President Clinton urging war with Iraq. (See blog entry of 1/19/06 "Why Iraq?" Part 5.) On CNN's Late Edition 4/9/06, retired General Tony Zinni told Wolf Blitzer that he had not favored war with Iraq because he had not considered Iraq a priority and that "we had other business to do to help stabilize that part of the world." "The Middle East peace process was in shambles and was probably the most important issue, at least psychologically, in the region." On the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer 2/9/05, two retired generals also spoke out about our problems in the Arab world. General De Long stated, "Every time I go there in the last ten years I get a finger pointed in my chest saying if you fix the issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis, there will be no terrorism in the world." General Hoar agreed, "It is the elite motif that you hear every place you go in the Arab world that if you could solve the Arab-Israeli problem, the view is that we always support the Israelis at the expense of the Palestinians. I have said again and again that the road to stability in Baghdad leads through Jerusalem." Lehrer concluded, "You both agree on that." Senator Fritz Hollings wrote in the May 6, 2004 Charleston Post and Courier, "With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel." Professor David Lutz comments, "It may seem remarkable that a member of the US Government would speak so straightforwardly about Israel. But Hollings, who has represented his state in the Senate since 1966, decided to retire from the Senate and spoke candidly during what was his final term. " (See "Neo-conned Again" p. 140.)