American Diplomats and Military Commanders from Both Parties Condemn
Bush Administration
Commentary ~ June 17, 2004: A group of 26
retired diplomats and military commanders released a statement this
week saying the Bush administration does not understand the world
and remains unable to handle "in either style or substance"
the responsibilities of global leadership.
The former ambassadors and four-star commanders issued
their condemnation of Bush and his administration in a statement
read to a crowded Washington news conference. They blamed Bush for
weakening America’s security, and destroying its reputation
abroad. "Never in the 2 1/4 centuries of our history has the
United States been so isolated among the nations, so broadly feared
and distrusted," they said.
The statement,
which fit onto a single page, said there was absolutely "no
credible evidence" that Saddam Hussein worked with al Qaeda
on any missions in the United States. The 26 signers accused the
Bush administration of a “cynical campaign to persuade the
public that Saddam Hussein was linked to al Qaeda and the attacks
of September 11.”
The statement was released on the same day the independent
commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said
it also found no evidence linking Iraq to al Qaeda or the attacks
on September 11.
The statement reminds its readers that the U.S. invaded
Iraq with dubious evidence of weapons of mass destruction and without
a clear exit strategy. In so doing, they said, Bush endangered the
lives of U.S. soldiers and destabilized the entire region.
Among the retired officials signing the statement
were Admiral William J. Crowe Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff under President Ronald Reagan and U.S. ambassador to the
Court of St. James's under President Bill Clinton, and Marine Gen.
Joseph P. Hoar, named by George Bush, Sr. to lead U.S. forces in
the Middle East.
Standing together – both Republican and Democrat
– the group appealed to voters to remove the Bush from the
White House this fall.
Phyllis Oakley, who has served under every administration
from Ford to Clinton, including as deputy State Department spokesperson
under Reagan and an assistant secretary of State for Clinton, told
the National Press Club in Washington on Wednesday that Bush’s
presidency has been an unmitigated disaster. “Over nearly
half a century we have worked energetically in all regions of the
world, often in very difficult circumstances, to build piece by
piece a structure of respect and influence for the United States
that has served our county very well over the last 60 years,”
he said.
“Today we see that structure crumbling under
an administration blinded by ideology and a callous indifference
to the realities of the world around it. Never before have so many
of us felt the need for a major change in the direction of our foreign
policy.”
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, speaking later
in the day to al-Jazeera, predictably defended the president, saying
the diplomats and retired military commanders had a political agenda
– even though many of them are Republican and would rather
see John Kerry in the White House than another term of George Bush.
Apparently, Powell cares more about his job than he
does about the country.
