General George Casey is presently being questioned by the Senate before they approve him as the Army chief of staff.
According to CNN "Despite frustrations over the war, senators are likely to confirm Casey."
WHY?
Now before you say I'm just another anti-war nut, I am one of those moderate Democrats who initially supported the war in Iraq. And I stayed hopeful longer than most.
I have also watched Iraq turn in to a disaster, month after month, year after year. And while there is plenty of blame to go around. And while final responsibility rests with Bush, Cheney, & Rumsfeld. They do not bear sole responsibility.
The mess at Abu Garib was a failure of military leadership. Guantanamo to a large degree is due to the axis of evil (Bush, Cheney, & Rumsfeld) but Abu Garib was not driven by them. It was the military leadership in Iraq.
And that is not the only place. As I list out in here, the responsibility for getting the job done rested on the military leadership in Iraq. I doubt Bush or Rumsfeld ever told the Generals - please make this a disaster.
General Casey bears direct responsibility for the disaster in Iraq. As the senior commander on the ground there his only job was to make Iraq a success. And he has failed. He has failed his country and he has failed our soldiers.
He is now being considered for a promotion to the top position in the Army. A position where his largest job is overseeing the war in Iraq. And he is being considered for this after failing in Iraq.
And if his excuse is that he was limited by Bush and Rumsfeld - so we want a Army Chief of Staff who will not speak up when the administration sets this country up for failure. Yes he needs to follow orders. But he also has a responsibility to speak up first if those orders are a receipe for failure. He did not do this.
Senate approval of Casey is akin to the Presidential Medals of Freedom for Tenat and Bremer - a reward for loyalty to the president while failing.
Senate approval of Casey is a statement by the Senate that he is the best soldier we have to manage the Army. And this is at a time when the Army is under greater stress than any time since the start of the Civil War. (This is worse than any time during WWII for the U.S.)
Senate approval of Casey is a clear message that the Senate will talk. But that they will continue to let George Bush run the war as he sees fit. We can't pull the troops out tomorrow. We may not have the votes to force a draw-down. We may not even be able to stop the surge escalation.
But the Senate sure can say that the man who was a failure leading the troops in Iraq is not acceptable to run the Army. They can insist that the Army Chief of Staff be competent for the job.
