Ex-top soldier: Iraq war ‘fiasco’ due to Rumsfeld’s ‘lies’

10-14-2010 • Rawstory

in order to get the war going, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "elbowed aside Gen. Richard Myers and the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and also intimidated and flattered Gen. Tommy R. Franks while working directly with him, and so basically went to war without getting the advice of his top military advisors."

The result, Shelton writes, was a war plan that amounted to a "fiasco."

Shelton reportedly saves his harshest criticisms for Rumsfeld himself, who he said had "the worst style of leadership I witnessed in 38 years of service."

1 Comments in Response to Ex-top soldier: Iraq war ‘fiasco’ due to Rumsfeld’s ‘lies’

Comment by Chip Saunders

Entered on: 10/15/2010 12:18:43 AM

I have a great deal of respect for Gen. Shelton and always have. As a "mustang" officer (one who started from lowly private and didn't start out as an officer), he has lived the life and performed all the roles from top to bottom. The academy-spawned officer corp remains elitist, and is the military's equivalent of east-coast ivory tower privileged fraternity snobs.

That is not to say that Shelton gets a pass for suspending his moral compass. But he is more qualified to comment on and critique leadership and the command structure than almost anyone else.

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