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Sunday Morning Mutiny

The London Times says up to five top U.S. generals and admirals will resign if we attack Iran.

Here are some of the key phrases:    

“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”

A British defence source confirmed that there were deep misgivings inside the Pentagon about a military strike. “All the generals are perfectly clear that they don’t have the military capacity to take Iran on in any meaningful fashion. Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them.

“There are enough people who feel this would be an error of judgment too far for there to be resignations.”

A generals’ revolt on such a scale would be unprecedented. “American generals usually stay and fight until they get fired,” said a Pentagon source.

OK, let’s review. “A source with close ties to British intelligence.” An ocean and several offices removed from the U.S. generals in question. “Deep misgivings.”  Doesn’t quite reise to the level of career-ending revolt, but OK. “There are enough people who feel this would be an error of judgment too far for there to be resignations.”  Actually sounds like this one is saying no resignations, but I think its some convoluted Brit syntax, overlaid on speculation.  And here’s the most significant remark of all: “American generals usually stay and fight until they get fired.”  Here’s the one source in closest proximity to the generals, but it’s unclear what the context and intent of this Pentagon source’s remark is.  Is the source saying, never happen … shocking if it did happen … or that’s how serious this situation is.   Who knows?  Only the source and the reporter.  Presumeably if the source did in fact say five top generals and admirals are on the verge of resigning, that would be in the article.  Rather than that ”source close to British intelligence.”

Let’s assume it’s true.  We have five generals who want to bolt at a time when our soldiers are be killed by Iranian-backed terrorists, when Iranian agents and weapons have been seized in Iraq, and Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons?  Let them go.  We have more generals.  Unfortunately, charges of desertion in the face of the enemy would not stick.

Contrary to what’s said in this article, we’ve had political fights between generals and presidents before.  Presidents win.  What will be entertaining to watch is how the people who are unconvinced by the evidence against Iran will seize on this Fleet Street exercise in wishful thinking, which doesn’t even rise to the level of trial balloon.

Topics: Britain, Intel, Iran, media, military

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 10:15 am on Sunday, February 25, 2007

13 Responses to “Sunday Morning Mutiny”

1. CavMedic Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 10:28 am

   I think “resign in protest” is code for “go to work for CBS as military analyst”.

2. clb72 Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 10:34 am

   The military exists to bomb the bejeezus out of anyone, at any time, on the orders of the commander-in-chief. If they don’t want to, they shouldn’t be in the military. These colors don’t run! Remember 9/11! Boo-yah!

3. ‘Commanders’ Will Quit If We Attack Iran? at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source. Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 11:17 am

   [...] The Times of London set the blogosphere abuzz this morning, reporting that six senior commanders at the Pentagon will quit if the US attacks Iran. The Pentagon, claims their source, has no stomach for a war with the Islamic Republic: SOME of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources. [...]

4. sharinlite Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 11:33 am

   Perhaps once the tinfoil hatted leftist loons are out of the military we might actually “think” about winning this thing.

5. El Cid Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 11:39 am

   McClellan lives.

   Soon after this appointment Abraham Lincoln ordered McClellan to appear before a committee investigating the way the war was being fought. On 15th January, 1862, McClellan had to face the hostile questioning of Benjamin Wade and Zachariah Chandler. Wade asked McClellan why he was refusing to attack the Confederate Army. He replied that he had to prepare the proper routes of retreat. Chandler then said: “General McClellan, if I understand you correctly, before you strike at the rebels you want to be sure of plenty of room so that you can run in case they strike back.”

   “Frustrated by McClellan unwillingness to attack, Abraham Lincoln recalled him to to Washington with the words: “My dear McClellan: If you don’t want to use the Army I should like to borrow it for a while.” On 7th November Lincoln removed McClellan from all commands and replaced him with Ambrose Burnside.”

   “In 1864 stories began to circulate that McClellan was seeking the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. Worried by the prospect of competing with the former head of the Union Army, it is claimed that Lincoln offered McClellan a new command in Virginia. McClellan refused and accepted the nomination. In an attempt to obtain unity, Lincoln named a Southern Democrat, Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, as his running mate. ”

   “During the campaign McClellan declared the war a “failure” and urged “immediate efforts for a cessation of hostilities, with a view to an ultimate convention of the states, or other peaceable means, to the end that peace may be restored on the basis of the federal Union of the States”. However, McClellan added that this could happen when “our adversaries are willing to negotiate upon the basis of reunion.” McClellan made it clear that he disliked slavery because it weakened the country but he opposed “forcible abolition as an object of the war or a necessary condition of peace and reunion.”

   This report brought to you by CBS.

   Oh and these guys, too.

   http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USACWmcclellan.htm

6. Purple Avenger Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 12:26 pm

   I hope one of them is Fallon. That deal of his (while in the Pacific command) where he showed the PRC all the secrets of our military inner sanctums in exchange for a bag of Cheetos convinced me he was unfit.

7. The_Real_JeffS Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 12:26 pm

   I suspect that, if this is true (and I doubt it is), none of those flag officers are in key command positions. In fact, I doubt that they would be in command positions at all.

   In short, if they resign, the only loss is that the American public gets to listen to them on CBS and CNN.

8. El Cid Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 1:04 pm

   McClellan lives

   Senate Democrat aims for U.S. troop limits in Iraq

   http://www.breitbart.com/

9. Bill's Bites Says:
   February 25th, 2007 at 1:47 pm

   ‘Commanders’ Will Quit If We Attack Iran?

   ‘Commanders’ Will Quit If We Attack Iran? Ed Morrissey The Times of London set the blogosphere abuzz this morning, reporting that six senior commanders at the Pentagon will quit if the US attacks Iran. The Pentagon, claims their source, has

10. Old War Dogs Says:
    February 25th, 2007 at 2:00 pm

    Bill’s Nibbles // Open Post — 2007.02.24

    Some Bill’s Bites posts, some things I excerpted and linked but I’m sending you to the original post. I may rearrange the order of the items within this post as I add new things that I think belong above the

11. saltydog Says:
    February 25th, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    Hell, let ‘em quit now. One problem I’ve had with Bush is his unwillingness to fire those in the government working against him. One learns when reading military history that generals are fired right and left at the beginning of a war. There’s nothing like war to shake out the incompetents, cowards, and others who prove useless in a fight.

12. NoisyRoom.net » Blog Archive » ‘Commanders’ Will Quit If We Attack Iran? Says:
    February 25th, 2007 at 3:07 pm

    [...] The Times of London set the blogosphere abuzz this morning, reporting that six senior commanders at the Pentagon will quit if the US attacks Iran. The Pentagon, claims their source, has no stomach for a war with the Islamic Republic: SOME of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources. Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack. [...]

13. RebeccaH Says:
    February 25th, 2007 at 10:49 pm

    I suspect that if these senior officers are of the Murtha stripe, we’re better off without them.

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