by James Glaser
August 27, 2002

"We Need To Quit Making Enemies That We Don't Need To Make Enemies Out Of"
General Anthony Zinni

For the past year the American Congress has been less than honest or forthright with citizens, when it comes to any meaningful debate about war and the consequences of war. The White House and George Bush are more than ready to attack whoever and have Iraq sitting in their sights.

There are members of Congress who in the past have fought for our country, although not in any sort of majority, these members could give our nation the benefit of their experiences, but because this is an election year, they have remained silent, in fear of alienating some voters, however they come out on the war issue.

Those in the Executive branch, including the President and Vice President, also the Secretary of Defense, have no war time military experience at all. President Bush does have a baseball cap with those "scrambled eggs" on the bill like real officers have. Dick Chaney was in college for all of the ten years of the Vietnam War, so he couldn't go. Donald Rumsfled was in the Navy in 1957 which was in the middle of the United States longest peace between W.W.II and the present. All three of these leaders do want War and do want to lead us to victory and put themselves in the history book as victors.

The American people are looking for leadership and want someone to step up to the plate and give us both the pros and cons about what a war with Iraq could mean to our country's future. Those on the far right, the conservative pundits and the religious right, are all for killing some one, any one. Those on the left don't want war with anyone, any place. No one is sitting in the middle, looking at both sides and really putting some thought and answers to questions about this looming War, until now. Who steps up to the plate and out on a limb to help America decide if war with Iraq is the answer, the Generals. At least the retired ones, who are now free to give their honest opinion without a the threat of ruining their careers.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser under former President Bush; and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of operations in the Persian Gulf war, have now been joined by retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, the current President Bush's top Middle East trouble-shooter, in warning America that now is not the time to attack Iraq.

"I can give you many more priorities before I get to that" General Zinni said when asked if the United States should move to remove Saddam. " We need to make sure the Taliban and al-Qaida can't come back" "We need to quit making enemies that we don't need to make enemies out of." said Zinni.

The most telling quote of all is this one by General Zinni. "It's pretty interesting that all the generals see it the same way, and all the others who have never fired a shot and are hot to go to war, see it another way."