Brave, blunt Hackworth, the pencil-pushers' bane

[Algorem]

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Elizabeth Sullivan

http://www.cleveland.com/news/esullivan/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1117877825326810.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

...Who else will pull no punches about "the extreme neocons and their extreme liberal pals (?) ," as Hack once put it, who have never worn a combat boot but send others' kids to fight irrational wars with squishy goals and nonexistent exit strategies?

Never since Vietnam have the uniformed services become so riven with "yes men."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had to shop around before he found a battlefield commander compliant enough to shelve decades of war plans to fight the Iraq war on the cheap. Then his lieutenants went about ferreting out other "dissidents."...

It was Hack who revealed through his syndicated column that Rumsfeld was signing condolence letters for fallen troops with a mechanical pen...

[juajen]

1. Col. Hackworth was a brave man

My household will miss him lots.

:kick:

[teryang]

2. Hack was conflicted too over Iraq

He was enthusiastic over the apparent initial success of the invasion but maintained serious reservations concerning the fact that the Iraqi armed forces had apparently vanished. He publicly expressed concerns and anticipated a guerilla conflict with a long term while others less knowledgeable (including military talking heads) were out celebrating and saying I told ya so.