When the Generals Speak Out, know there is more than meets the eye

When the Generals Speak Out, know there is more than meets the eye

From left, Major General Paul D. Eaton, General Anthony C. Zinni, Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, Major General John Batiste, Major General John Riggs and Major General Charles H. Swannack Jr.


Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., who led troops on the ground in Iraq as recently as 2004 as the commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, on Thursday became the fifth retired senior general in recent days to call publicly for Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster.

Also Thursday, another retired Army general, Maj. Gen. John Riggs, joined in the fray.

Another former Army commander in Iraq, Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who led the First Infantry Division, publicly broke ranks with Mr. Rumsfeld on Wednesday

Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, who headed the United States Central Command in the late 1990's before retiring from the Marine Corps.

Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold of the Marine Corps, who retired in late 2002, has said he regarded the American invasion of Iraq unnecessary.

Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, a retired Army general, called for Mr. Rumsfeld's resignation in March.

Read article at New York Times; April 13, 2006 'More Retired Generals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation'