For Vietnam Vet Anthony Zinni, Another War on Shaky Territory (Must Read)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22922-2003Dec22_2.html

Anthony C. Zinni's opposition to U.S. policy on Iraq began on the monsoon-ridden afternoon of Nov. 3, 1970. He was lying on a Vietnamese mountainside west of Da Nang, three rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle in his side and back. He could feel his lifeblood seeping into the ground as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

He had plenty of time to think in the following months while recuperating in a military hospital in Hawaii. Among other things, he promised himself that, "If I'm ever in a position to say what I think is right, I will. . . . I don't care what happens to my career."

That time has arrived.

Over the past year, the retired Marine Corps general has become one of the most prominent opponents of Bush administration policy on Iraq, which he now fears is drifting toward disaster.

It is one of the more unusual political journeys to come out of the American experience with Iraq. Zinni still talks like an old-school Marine -- a big-shouldered, weight-lifting, working-class Philadelphian whose father emigrated from Italy's Abruzzi region, and who is fond of quoting the wisdom of his fictitious "Uncle Guido, the plumber." Yet he finds himself in the unaccustomed role of rallying the antiwar camp, attacking the policies of the president and commander in chief whom he had endorsed in the 2000 election.

[izzie]

1. Well yar but a little late. These neo-cons are so smart.

Men with a lot of power, and educations and not one whole brain between them. I love the Iraq people they have gone to. The ones that got out or the country 30 years ago. Another smart move.And what are the Christian group now doing in the country? Our ace in the hole? Bush and company doing what it has done so well messing things up. They are like the bull in the china store.

[proud patriot]

2. Wow ..Now that was a great read

:hi:

[RamboLiberal]

3. I had a wild thought - could this be Dean's kickass General VP

since the situation with Clark is souring? This election may be the time for strange alliances, perhaps even a ticket of a liberal-moderate Dem with a moderate up to now Republican. Now that might be a real nightmare for Rove, and I wouldn't put it past the Dean campaign to do something like this. I don't see Zinni on Dean's list of policy advisers now, I seem to remember reading in the past Dean was getting some counsel from Zinni.

Not saying Dean has the nom yet - just speculating.

[dfong63]

4. that would be a kick-ass ticket indeed

[RamboLiberal]

5. The more I think about it - the more I like it

Wonder if Dean's campaign could be thinking so out-of-the-box as to think of something like this. Dean then could claim to be the "real uniter"