Col. Hackworth continues to speak out
Anyone who says, "Rumsfeld is an arrogant asshole. That's a quote, by the way," has earned my respect. And it's very rare when I respect a conservative hawk, but today's lead article from Salon leaves me with even more respect for Col. David Hackworth.

Some readers may remember that I praised Mr. Hackworth last March for speaking out against the war in Iraq, even though I probably wouldn't agree with him on any other issue. Mr. Hackworth is not an anti-war activist: he served in WWII at the age of 15 (he lied to about his age to get enlisted), and also fought in Vietnam. His concern is for the welfare of our troops and how the Bush administration ("asshole" Rumsfeld in particular) has been handling the Army and fighting this war. Back in a March radio interview, Mr. Hackworth surpised the shit out of me by coming out against a war in Iraq, saying that the country was not connected to terrorism and, even if they did have WMDs, they had no way of delivering those weapons to their enemies. ("How are they going to get their chemical and biological weapons here, in a wheelbarrow?") I had heard this man on Republican radio before, he was a regular guest on the Michael Reagan show (yes, THAT Reagan) where Michael used him for military analysis. Like I said, this man is a hawk, not an anti-war protester, so I was floored when he came out against military action in Iraq.

The Salon article expands on his views, and his communication with the troops in Iraq, bringing us the story that the Pentagon will not tell us. Troops are not receiving basic health and rations, tanks are breaking down because there are no spare parts, the war is bring fought incorrectly and RUmsfeld has bungled the whole thing, and troops are even cut off from communications with home while generals toodle around on the Internet all day, sending flowers to their wivies. All while Iraqi guerrillas are turning, "An Army of One," into an Army of one (or two) a day, binding their time to launch an attack that could kill hundreds of troops.

The article says that Mr. Hackworth gets around 500 emails a day from disgruntled troops, posting a few on his website, Hackworth.com. This site, and Salon's article, are required reading for those interested in the truth.