BUSH REGIME FORCES ADMIRAL FALLON OUT... OPENING THE GATES OF HELL?

Admiral William Fallon, military hero and patriot, + a smirking chimp

A few days ago we discussed how a real American leader was being pressured out of the military by the incompetent and venal nincompoop, the Commander-in-Chimp, still in the White House. It just happened. Gates, who stopped taking Fallon's calls, said resigning was the right thing for him to do. CNN:

"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said.

Worries about an imminent sneak attack on Iran were poo-poo-ed by the Regime. Gates: "As I say, the notion that this decision portends anything in terms of change in Iran policy is, to quote myself, 'ridiculous.'" There are a number of ways to interpret that, one of which could be that Cheney's and McCain's heartfelt desire to bomb Iran was always policy and that with Fallon out of the way they can move forward. We'll let you know.

Adam at the National Security Network gathered a compendium of recent statements by Admiral Fallon that American patriots may have appreciated but that Bush, Cheney, McCain and the treacherous and incompetent Neocons surrounding them certainly didn't. Remember, Petraeus-- the political general with uncontainable aspirations to run for the GOP nomination in 2012-- was reporting to Fallon and Fallon was less than enthusiastic about the Bush Regime strategy Petraeus has been carrying out. "His dissenting voice
on the Iraq surge strategy has been disregarded by the White House, and his strong support for balancing our focus on Iraq with other regional priorities has yet to be fully realized." Here are a few:

Fallon's Differences with Petraeus Described as "Armageddon": Fallon "has been saying from Day One, 'This [the surge] isn't working,'" and "The profoundly different views of the U.S. role in Iraq only exacerbated the schism between the two men. 'Bad relations?" said a senior civilian official with a laugh. "That's the understatement of the century. If you think Armageddon was a riot, that's one way of looking at it.'" [Washington Post, 9/9/2007]

"Fallon is also said to believe that giving the Iraqi government a clearer sense that the U.S. troop
commitment is limited would help spur the Iraqis to pass legislation and take other steps aimed at achieving reconciliation among the warring sectarian factions in Iraq." [IHT, 9/7/07]

Fallon Remains More Aggressive on Substantial Troop Reductions than the Administration. Adm. Fallon stated that he would like to see the U.S. "transfer more and more responsibility for security in Iraq to Iraqi security forces and, at the same time, withdrawing a substantial amount of our combat forces." While he favors a pause in troop reductions, he believes it should be "temporary and brief". According to the NY Times, "Admiral Fallon's comments struck a somewhat different tone from the one voiced privately by Bush administration officials who have said they advocate holding to troop levels before the 'surge' for some months, perhaps even until the end of the administration." [NY Times, 2/28/2008; AP, 2/25/2008]

Fallon Favors Focusing on Regional Threats in Afghanistan Instead of Solely Iraq: After very brief troop reduction pause in Iraq, Fallon wants a "resumption of withdrawals to ease stress on the overall
military and allow him to balance deployments across the volatile region." He also stated that he hoped to add "a couple of thousand" military trainers to support Afghan Army and police forces. However, he did acknowledge that more troops in Afghanistan are not enough and that the strategy and execution need to improve. "Could we do better with a few more folks? Of course. But the real challenge is: Where is the economic viability for this place?" [NY Times, 2/28/2008]

RUSS FEINGOLD CONCERNED ABOUT FALLON'S DEPARTURE

Speaker Pelosi put out an official statement about the loss of this distinguished, straight-talking military leader, and Senator Russ Feingold, who visited Sumatra and Banda Aceh, Indonesia with Admiral William Fallon, to review post-tsunami reconstruction efforts, was also disturbed by this development.

"I am very concerned about the news of Admiral Fallon's resignation and what it may mean for our ability to face many difficult challenges in the Middle East as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I offer my sincere thanks to Admiral Fallon for his distinguished service to our country. During a trip to Indonesia in 2006, I was fortunate enough to spend time with Admiral Fallon, then the Commander of Pacific Command, and was profoundly impressed with his knowledge of the region as well as with his dedication to his work. He impressed me with his insights and gave me great confidence in the manner in which the United States military was operating in the region. It is no secret that I do not see eye to eye with the administration on most foreign policy issues, and the credibility which Admiral Fallon brought to the issues he was involved in will be sorely missed."

Plenty of rumors that Bush, Cheney and McCain are plotting an attack on Iran in time to impact the November elections.