Monday, September 08, 2008

Woodward: Military Leaders Opposed Surge

Bob Woodward appeared on 60 Minutes last night.
He's got a new book: "The War Within." The Bush administration sounds like it was a catastrophe at every turn. When he was told we were losing the war, Bush told us we were "winning" the war (whatever that means.)
CBS: Asked what the generals at the Pentagon thought when presented with the idea of a surge, Woodward told Pelley, "They think that it won't work. And the president actually at one point goes and meets with them. And the Army chief of staff, General [Peter] Schoomaker, says 'You can't add five brigades, it will take many more,' 'What about another crisis?' 'We don't have troops for this,' 'What about the damage your doing to the force, the young kids who see nothing but endless rotations?'"

"What does General Casey, sitting in Baghdad, think of having additional troops?" Pelley asked.

"He thinks that Baghdad is a troop sump-a place you can put endless numbers of troops in. And he does not want to add force," Woodward said.

"The president, who has said in public, endless times, that he relies on his generals to tell him what they need, is actually going his own way here," Pelley remarked.


Part 2