WASHINGTON, March 11, 2008
White House Downplays Rift With Fallon
Admiral In Charge Of U.S. Mideast Command Resigned Amid Alleged Disagreements On Iran
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Top Mideast Commander Quits
Admiral William Fallon submitted his resignation after a magazine article suggested he was standing in the way of U.S. military action in Iran. David Martin reports.
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Gates Announces Fallon Exit
"CBS News RAW": Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announces he's accepted the resignation of Adm. William Fallon, the top commander at U.S. Central Command.
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Admiral Fallon Stepping Down
Navy Admiral William Fallon is stepping down from his position as Commander of U.S. Forces in the Middle East. "Up to the Minute" Military Analyst Mitch Mitchell weighs in.
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Admiral William Fallon (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
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For Fallon, the perception of a disagreement with President George W. Bush's policies on Iran rather than an actual rift was enough reason to step down.
"Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region," Fallon said in a statement Tuesday in which he announced his resignation as head of U.S. Central Command, arguably the most important in the U.S. military.
Democrats seized on Fallon's resignation as an opportunity to criticize Mr. Bush.
"Over the last seven Bush years, we've seen those who toe the company line get rewarded and those who speak inconvenient truths get retired," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said in a written statement.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., echoed Kerry's comment and said, "The last thing America needs is an echo chamber of top advisers, especially on all-important questions of war and peace."
It is highly unusual for a senior commander to resign in wartime. Fallon took the post on March 16, 2007, succeeding Army Gen. John Abizaid, who retired after nearly four years in the job. Fallon was part of a new team of senior officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, chosen by Mr. Bush to implement a revised Iraq war policy.
White House press secretary Dana Perino called the charges of stifling dissent "nonsense."
"The president welcomes robust and healthy debate," she said. "He has many members of his administration that represent different viewpoints. He has dissenting views on a variety of issues that get worked out through a policy process that is usually not fed out in the press."
"There's no one in the administration that is suggesting other than a diplomatic approach to Iran," Perino said.
An Esquire magazine article published last week described Fallon, 63, as being at odds with a president eager to go to war with Iran. Titled "The Man Between War and Peace," the article presented Fallon as a lone voice against taking military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program.
"I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility," Fallon said in his statement Tuesday, and he regretted "the simple perception that there is."
Gates told a Pentagon news conference that he accepted Fallon's request to resign and retire, agreeing that the Iran issue had become a distraction. But Gates said repeatedly that he believed talk of Fallon opposing Mr. Bush on Iran was mistaken.
"I don't think that there really were differences at all," Gates said, adding that Fallon was not pressured to leave.
"He told me that, quote, 'The current embarrassing situation, public perception of differences between my views and administration policy and the distraction this causes from the mission make this the right thing to do,' unquote," Gates told reporters.
Fallon was out of step with the White House almost from the day he took over the U.S. Central Command, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. On his first trip to Iraq, he allowed a reporter for The New York Times to accompany him to a meeting at which he lectured Prime Minister Maliki on the need for political reform. A source close to Fallon says that earned him phone calls from Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Rice and National Security Adviser Hadley. Afterwards, Fallon said he had "two strikes against me" and lamented ever taking the job.
Gates said he did not think it was the Esquire article alone that prompted Fallon to quit. Rather, Gates thought it was "a cumulative kind of thing" that he and Fallon had failed to put "behind us." He also dismissed as "ridiculous" any notion that Fallon's departure signals the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.
Fallon's departure, effective March 31, is unlikely to immediately affect conduct of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. His top deputy at Central Command, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take his place until a permanent successor is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Dempsey had previously been selected to head U.S. Army Europe.
Gen. David Petraeus, who runs the Iraq war from Baghdad but is technically subordinate to Fallon, was known to have differences with Fallon over the timing and pace of drawing down U.S. troops from Iraq. Fallon has favored a faster pullback. Petraeus issued a statement lauding Fallon's service.
Possible replacements could include:
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See all 70 CommentsAccording to the White House, they listen to the generals on the ground. That is until, the generals disagree with them.
"The president welcomes robust and healthy debate," she said. "He has many members of his administration that represent different viewpoints. He has dissenting views on a variety of issues that get worked out through a policy process that is usually not fed out in the press."
Yep, and every one of those dissenters, political (i.e Budget Director talking costs prior to the war, 9 attorneys that would not prosecute democrats or did prosecute republicans)and military officers (we need more troops, why are we in Iraq, what''s the post war plan), are gone, either fired or retired. Even Colin Powell fell victim to asking hard questions, something Bush and Cheney will not tolerate!
The Bush idea of a robust debate is you bent over, holding your ankles.
W- Worst Ever
Good for a true hero for standing up to war mongering, saber rattleling of the Bush Administration. He knows that the Bush Administration is planning an incursion into Iran and knows this will further destablize the middle east.
Instead Adm Fallon says we should talk to them, make diplomatic inititives. That should be the foreign policy of the United States.
Hillary has says we should not be talking to our enemies and in fact in September voted for the Iran Resolution (Obama did not) giving Bush some authority to attack Iran. Unbelievable.
Obama has the judgement we need - he and Adm Fallon would certainly be in agreement.
Perhaps an Obama - Fallon ticket.
Obama, willing to use his brain and talk first, shoot second, and Fallon, giving sound military and policy judgments. Good be a very nice match.
Bu$h - ''Fallon? He''s dead to me. Next?''
I wonder if Bu$h will use nukclear weapons in the first Iran Oil Invasion?
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Posted by Inventagod at 01:35 PM : Mar 12, 2008
You made me laugh out loud...Bush is SO stupid!
McCain Advisers Lobbied for Europeans to Win Air Force Tanker Deal
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/us/politics/12tanker.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Either that, or we unleash WWII, basically.
Posted by j-whitman at 02:32 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Well, Iraq has actually just become your standard quagmire. It''s costing the US taxpayers billions monthly and it''s still killing US servicemen almost daily.
The rightwingers are basically destroying the nation. But their pride and arrogance seems to matter more to them. They will watch as the nation swirls around the toilet bowl rather then admin this was a mistake and begin to change course.
Yes, it''s darned embarrassing when you claim to be "listening to the commanders in the field", and the commander in the field tells you something you don''t want to hear.
Like God didn''t appoint George Bushit as president.
$275 million per day
$4,100 per household
Almost 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed and more than 60,000 wounded
700,000 Iraqis killed and 4 million refugees
What is going to happen if the maniacs in the White House attack Iran? You think that Iran can''t inflict pain and suffering on the US? What will happen to oil prices? What if attacks like 9/11 began to happen on a weekly basis? What if IEDs started turning up on US highways?
A war with Iran would (likely) help the GOP this fall, and don''t think these cynical monsters won''t do it to help their party and carry out their warped agendas.
If the Dems sit back and watch it happen then to H3LL with them too.
Somewhere between 20,000 to 80,000 troops will remain in Iraq for quite some time.... It took us over 2 years to leave Iraq in the 1st Gulf War & that lasted what, 20 days ??
McCain Advisers Lobbied for Europeans to Win Air Force Tanker Deal
Posted by ainttaken at 02:47 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Touche.
While I will take some delight in watching those morons who bought SUVs as big as school buses have to pay a couple hundred dollars to fill the tank (I walk the 1/2 mile to the train into work each day) it frightens me beyond words what will happen in the short and long run.
I am convinced that Russia and China will step off the sidelines to defend their ally Iran. The Shias will rise up in Iraq. Opposition to the mullahs in Iran will be crushed as the nation rallies around them. I believe there are sleeper cells in the US that will waken and carry out devastating attacks at home and abroad.
I believe there is a good chance an attack on Iran will result in chaos, death and misery not seen since WWII. And the people of the US will not go untouched.
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YES, are u? Do you support our troops? How? Tangible support not just whiny on message boards.
questioning your patriotism
even while they are selling the USA out
Posted by ainttaken
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Republicans aren''t PATRIOTS - their Profit Seekers - Money means more then Country and People!
BUSH AND HIS NEOCONS WILL TRY TO HIT IRAN BEFORE THEY LEAVE UNLESS WE START WAR CRIMES TRIALS ON THEM!
AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!
Pretty straight forward comment by Fallon.
Will be interesting to see the post retirement news conference.
Posted by j-whitman
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Not JRE - AKA John Edwards, but JER is in reference to Book of Jeremiah in the bible. Vice JER.
The comment is a quote from him. Nothing more.
In the past, many senior officers have retired "so" they could speak freely.
There has been a lot of free wheeling journalism about whether the guy was forced out and whether he vigorously opposed any administration plans.
I suspect we will know truth in a few weeks. Someone will be disappointed.
12 soldiers die in 3 days; rise in deaths cast doubt on ''surge''
J, on the deaths, you are taking single data points and extrapolating again.
Even Angelina Jolie said it was better so we know now.......
Gates is trying to establish a coordinated regional strategic defense against Iran, not attack it.
That is not how the Esquire article came out......
Like I said, I suspect we will hear (spelled it right this time) an interesting post retirement speech from Fallon. He might be one p***** off fighter pilot about the press.
-- Sec. Gates & many military leaders also echo what
Fallon has said & have opposed this administration including Adm. Mullen the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & others.
Mullen also opposed and we are NOT at war with Iran, if you noticed.
In fact McCain & Cheney directly opposed puting together a "defensive" strategy which Fallon supported.......
The election isn''t that far away, after all!!
The Neocons need to do something to stay in power. Watch the Reichstag--I mean Congress--perhaps a bombing or something there to inflame the peasantry.
The White House always listens to the Generals on tactical matters unless of course the generals disagree with them. Then they ask them to resign.
lol!
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