Gen. Zinni (Ret.) Calls Rumsfeld a Ninny

The Wash Post reports on a bunch of old generals who think Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should step down:

"The problem is that we've wasted three years" in Iraq, said General [Anthony] Zinni, who was the chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, in the late 1990s. He added that he "absolutely" believes that Mr. Rumsfeld should resign.

Other retirees who served in Iraq seconding that emotion include Army Major General Paul Eaton, Marine Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, and Army Major General John Batiste.

On the flip side, reports the Post (which worries that such outbursts might undermine civilian control of the military):

The generals themselves may be partly to blame for the fiasco in Iraq, along with Mr. Rumsfeld and the White House, said Michael Vickers, an analyst at a Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "It's just absurd to lay the blame on Don Rumsfeld alone," he said.

Whole thing here.

A few weeks ago, on the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Reason asked our staff and others what they thought then, what they think now, and what they think we should do in the future. Check it out here.