Reply #47: ...and here: Hersh - "Some senior officers are prepared to resign" [View All]

[tiptoe]

Rumsfeld has lost the support of the uniformed military officers who work for him. Make no mistake: The retired generals who are speaking out against Rumsfeld in interviews and op-ed pieces express the views of hundreds of other officers on active duty. When I recently asked an Army officer with extensive Iraq combat experience how many of his colleagues wanted Rumsfeld out, he guessed 75 percent. Based on my own conversations with senior officers over the past three years, I suspect that figure may be low. (emphasis mine)

Reinforcing Ignatius' quote, above, the following is reported by Seymour Hersh:

What I’m writing here is that if this (plan to use nukes) isn’t removed — and I say this very seriously, I’ve been around this town for 40 years — some senior officers are prepared to resign. They’re that upset about the fact that this plan is kept in. … One thing about our military, they’re very loyal to the president, but they’re getting to the edge. They’re getting to the edge with not only Rumsfeld, but with Cheney and the President. (emphasis mine)
Hersh: "Some senior officers are prepared to resign"