Retired Army Major General writes "For his failures, Rumsfeld must go"

From the NY Times, March 20, 2006:

"During World War II, American soldiers en route to Britain before D-Day were given a pamphlet on how to behave while awaiting the invasion. The most important quote was: 'It is impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.'

"By that rule, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not competent to lead America's armed forces. First, his failure to build coalitions with U.S. allies from what he dismissively called "old Europe" has imposed far greater demands and risks on American soldiers in Iraq than necessary. Second, he alienated his allies in the U.S. military, ignoring the advice of seasoned officers and denying subordinates any chance for input.

"In sum, he has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically and is far more than anyone else responsible for what has happened to America's mission in Iraq. Rumsfeld must step down."

-- Paul D. Eaton, a retired U.S. Army major general, was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004. Full article here.