Another Retired U.S. General Calls for Rumsfeld to Resign

Recently retired two-star Major General John Batiste has joined a recent string of former generals in calling on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. In an interview with CNN Wednesday (April 12th), Batiste, who just a year ago commanded an Army division in Iraq, said, "I believe we need a fresh start in the Pentagon. We need a leader who understands teamwork, a leader who knows how to build teams, a leader that does it without intimidation." In speaking about the Defense Department leadership, Batiste said, "When decisions are made without taking into account sound military recommendations, sound military decision making, sound planning, then we're bound to make mistakes."

Batiste's 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Big Red One," was based in Tikrit, and ended a yearlong deployment in May 2005. Batiste then retired last November. His comments come after three other retired senior officers, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, Army Major General Paul Eaton and Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni, all spoke out against Rumsfeld in recent weeks.

Also in the CNN interview:

Batiste said he was struck by the, quote, "lack of sacrifice and commitment on the part of the American people" to the war, beyond those families who have soldiers fighting in Iraq. He explained, "I think that our executive and legislative branches of government have a responsibility to mobilize this country for war. They frankly have not done so."

Speaking about the outcome of the war, Batiste said, "Whether we agree or not with the war in Iraq, we are where we are, and we must succeed in this endeavor. Failure is frankly not an option."

If these generals feel so strongly about this, do you think it was their responsibility to act or speak out more forcefully when they were still on active duty and could possibly have made a difference?