Retired General: 'War Czar' position proves Cheney has been 'ineffective' David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Tuesday May 22, 2007 Print This Email This In 2003, Major General Paul Eaton was put in charge of training the new Iraqi army and police force. He retired from the military in 2006 and has now done a political ad for VoteVets.org in which he tells President Bush, "I was one of those commanders, and you weren't listening when we warned you of the dangers we'd face invading Iraq." In this interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley, Easton, now retired, explains that it was because the president has not listened to his commanders that VoteVets embarked on its unprecedented series of television ads. He says the decision to do so was not taken lightly, but the military is not being properly maintained by the current administration and even active duty military personnel are aware of this. When asked by Smiley about Bush's decision to appoint a "war czar," Eaton says that the appointing of any "czar" by an administration indicates a "last ditch effort." He calls Lt. General Douglas Lute "a wonderful soldier" but says the function is "really the job of the vice president of the United States." According to Eaton, the hiring of a "war czar" "is a demonstration that this office of the vice president has been ineffective in achieving the coordination necessary in the interagency process to get this administration  to get this cabinet  focused on solving the crisis that we've got right now in Iraq and in Afghanistan." "The War Czar is a last ditch effort to make responsible government happen in Washington DC," Eaton added. The following video is from PBS's Tavis Smiley Show:







