GEN. PACE DID NOT RESIGN, HE WAS CASHIERED

Al Jazeera has a story today on its web site that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Peter Pace refused to resign and was consequently fired from his job.

"Pace said that he had turned down an offer to voluntarily retire rather than be forced out saying that to quit in wartime would have let down US troops in Iraq."

So the Pentagon and Bush fired Pace after giving him an opportunity to resign. And why did they fire him? Because he was a toady, a suck-up, and in the totality of the circumstances, incompetent.

Why then do we have White House Press Spokesman Tony Snow criticizing Sen. Harry Reid for saying the same thing? See my post on June 15, 2007. To say or imply as did Snow that we civilians or Sen. Reid should not criticize military officers "in times of war" is ludicrous and irresponsible. Soldiers serve at the option of civilians. No soldier, no matter how high the rank, should be immune from criticism or calls for dismissal.

HARRY REID CALLS PACE AND PETRAEUS INCOMPETENT

After Sen. Harry Reid criticized both Peter Pace and David Petraeus for their incompetence, the White House responded with Tony Snow implying that it was unpatriotic to criticize generals during a "time of war."

Anne Flaherty writes for AP:

"Said White House spokesman Tony Snow: "In a time of war, for a leader of a party that says it supports the military, it seems outrageous to be issuing slanders toward the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and also the man that is responsible for the bulk of military operations in Iraq."
Added Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee: "Harry Reid doesn't understand that there are some lines you just don't cross.""

Here we go again with the same old line that if you criticize Bush or one of his flunkies, you get slimed and almost labeled a traitor. So, what's the difference between Hugo Chavez shutting down a TV station because he could not tolerate the criticism, and George Bush having his henchmen call Harry Reid "outrageous" for "issuing slanders towards the chairman of the Joint Chiefs?" Bush is just as bad as those autocrats who think they are not subject to criticism, and who respond in an inappropriate way.