The Guardian Props Up the Maunderings of Their Favorite General to Critique the War

The Guardian (heh) has a little hit piece advocating withdrawal from Iraq (surprise!). This time they get a cranky old retired general to make their case: General Sir Michael Rose, who is famous for being ineffective in Bosnia and for calling for Blair's impeachment for getting Britain into the Iraq war. Not a particularly objective source for commentary on the war, though the Guardian has no problem glossing over that aspect.

In any case, here's what General Sir Rose had to say:

A former British Army commander has said he understands why militants are trying to force US troops out of Iraq - and believes they are right.

General Sir Michael Rose - who led forces in Bosnia - also said it is vital Britain and America "admit defeat" and withdraw to protect soldiers' lives.

Now, this guy is a moron, and I'll tell you why. But first, read this bit of drivel from the good General himself:

"As Lord Chatham said, when he was speaking on the British presence in North America, he said 'if I was an American, as I am an Englishman, as long as one Englishman remained on American native soil, I would never, never, never lay down my arms'.

"The Iraqi insurgents feel exactly the same way. I don't excuse them for some of the terrible things they do, but I do understand why they are resisting the Americans."

Hokay. Apparently this keen thinker doesn't apprehend the difference between a temporary occupation and a permanent one. Nor does he understand that the Sunni insurgents are only one of three major factions causing violence in Iraq. And he also fails to comprehend that the ultimate goal of the insurgents is to re-take the Iraqi government.

If all of the violence in Iraq was directed at US soldiers, we would simply retire to our bases and start drawing down our forces. But the fact that Sunnis were allied with Al Qaeda until recently should demonstrate, even to this muddle-head, that ending the US occupation is only part of their agenda. Particularly when it is obvious to anybody tracking American politics that we can't wait to get out. And especially most particularly when you can see the US building up the Iraqi military, getting pushed around by Maliki, and transitioning provinces to Iraqi control.

But if you want the ultimate, definitive proof that this guy is a useless crank, have a gander at this gem:

"The British admitted defeat in North America and the catastrophes that were predicted at the time never happened. The catastrophes that were predicted after Vietnam never happened.

"The same thing will occur after we leave Iraq."

Uh, yeah, Chuckles. Except that the loss of the American colonies was the beginning of the end of the British Empire. Of course, it was doomed anyway, if this fellow is at all representative of their pool of military talent.