The military has seen enough, and it is obvious that they will not allow our fuck-up of a President to take this country any further along the path toward destruction. In that editorial I see not just a repudiation of Rumsfeld, but of the entire war. The entire foreign policy.

Read between the lines, friends, and you'll see that our armed forces have drawn a line in the sane. A line between sanity and insanity. Between truth and lies. Between what duty requires and what loyalty to this country will not allow.

The war is OVER. Our military commanders are refusing to follow Bush over a cliff, and they have put their foot down in order to stop this train wreck.

Read their words closely - for we can all rest assured that each and every one was chosen very, VERY carefully.

The message is clear in this passage from their letter:

Meanwhile, colonels and generals have asked their bosses for more troops. Service chiefs have asked for more money. And all along, Rumsfeld has assured us that things are well in hand.

They're telling us that the Administration has lied to us the whole time about EVERYTHING. And the Generals will not tolerate it any longer. They will not remain silent while more of our nation's finest die for a lost cause - for a failed policy - for a doomed war effort.

The military has spoken. They have made their demand.

I would not want to be George W. Bush on a good day. And I certainly would not want to be him for the next four days. No doubt the White House is calling in back-up plumbing specialists, because the Administration is collectively shitting bricks as we speak. I would be, too, if I were them.

And yet I have confidence. This is the best news of the election cycle, as far as I'm concerned.

I am certain, my fellow Americans, that our generals agreed on a plan for what to do if Bush refuses their demand long before this editorial was written. It gives me comfort to know that someone with our best interests in mind is now in control.

I never thought I'd see the day - not in this country. God help us all if Bush refuses.

::::

I say this not because I want to be alarmist. Of course I am a bit, but these days you can't afford not to be. No, I say this because the content, nature, and timing of this letter are simply unprecedented.

I don't know what effect our generals intend, and I don't know what response they intend either. But I DO know that our generals, unlike our civilian leaders, don't launch into uncharted territory without a plan.

And they don't make demands like this..... well, EVER. So something is afoot.

The President has a choice. He either submits to the demands of his generals, and the coup will be official. Or, he refuses. What they intend to do about that I don't know, but you can bet it's something. And at the very least the political ramifications will be catastrophic.

If Bush refuses, it will set the stage, at a minimum, for impeachment. Perhaps this is what our generals intended. Methinks they may be signalling a willingness to attest to high crimes and misdemeanors, if not high treason, if the Democrats ask their opinion.

But whatever their intention is, we have a genuine crisis on our hands. And not just a political one.



Update [2006-11-4 2:29:52 by Richard Carlucci]:: Thanks to everyone who has re-assured me that I'm over-reacting. It's nice to be on the rec'd list, but it's even nicer to know that so many others think I'm probably off the mark on a subject as serious as this.

For the record, I never meant to imply a tanks-in-the-street Coup. That will probably never happen in America. But an editorial like this, coming out at this time, doesn't get printed simultaneously in these magazines unless some very important Generals want to send a clear message that the President's choice with respect to Rumsfeld is not in their interests. This, I believe, is as close as it gets to a coup d'etat in America. And frankly, I wouldn't want to get any closer.

I'm just glad that the people who have our best interests in mind are finally willing to call the shots on Iraq, even if it means usurping their Commander in Chief. That's what I really see going on here.