“They’re destroying the United States Army”
President Bush likes to say that decisions on Iraq are based on information from military leaders on the ground, not political pressures on Capitol Hill. Back in April, he said, There's a debate going on in Washington, D.C., …about our troop levels. Here's my answer to you: I'm not going to make decisions based upon ...
President Bush likes to say that decisions on Iraq are based on information from military leaders on the ground, not political pressures on Capitol Hill. Back in April, he said,
President Bush likes to say that decisions on Iraq are based on information from military leaders on the ground, not political pressures on Capitol Hill. Back in April, he said,
There's a debate going on in Washington, D.C., …about our troop levels. Here's my answer to you: I'm not going to make decisions based upon polls and focus groups. I'm going to make my decisions based upon the recommendations of our generals on the ground. They're the ones who decide how to achieve the victory I just described. They're the ones who give me the information.
Well, Chuck Hagel begs to differ. In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald on Friday, Hagel, who opposes any sharp reduction in troop numbers, lashed out at the recently announced plan to lengthen tours of duty for soldiers in Iraq and to focus troop strength in Baghdad, away from other insurgent strongholds around the country. According to the paper:
[Hagel] said that in the previous 48 hours, he had received three telephone calls from four-star generals who were "beside themselves" over the Pentagon's reversal of plans to bring tens of thousands of soldiers home this fall….
"That isn't going to do any good. It's going to have a worse effect," Hagel said. "They're destroying the United States Army."
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