General Anthony Zinni Pulls No Punches

I caught a few moments of General Zinni on Meet The Press this morning. My fleeting impression was that he was speaking with a welcome candor.

Crooks and Liars has the video clip.

I will resist the told-you-so urge. As I recently reminded someone, I was never a give peace a chance person. I have always been a give reasonable foreign policy a chance person. It's becoming all too apparent that I should have been a give sound military strategy a chance person.

"You know, ever since the end of the first Gulf War, there’s been planning by
serious officers and planners and others, and policies put in place - 10 years'
worth of planning were thrown away. Troop levels dismissed out of hand. Gen.
Shinseki basically insulted for speaking the truth and giving an honest opinion.
" -General Anthony Zinni

What a mess. The number one job of any Commander-In-Chief is the execution of foreign policy via direction of the military. As Bush himself has said ad naseum, he is the war president. Failing this badly at your primary job responsibility demands accountability. Fortunately for President Bush, the last chance for true accountability passed two years ago. However, I believe the ultimate accountability, historical review, will not be so kind.