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Rumsfeld Dodged Early Iraq Failures: Sanchez

Posted May 4, 08 11:34 AM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – Early mistakes in Iraq—and the extent of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's involvement in them—are the subject of a Time excerpt from a book by the former commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. Sanchez details an effort by Rumsfeld to get him to agree, on paper, that Rumsfeld had been out of the loop on the premature drawdown of strategic command forces that led to disarray—a claim Sanchez vehemently denies.

Sanchez, who was forced into retirement after Abu Ghraib, accuses Rumsfeld of “covering his rear” and “setting up a chain of denials,” even dangling a post-retirement job at Defense if the general will corroborate his claim. “The Secretary knew,” Sanchez writes. “Everybody knew." At one meeting, he told Rumsfeld: "Sir, I cannot believe that you didn't know I was being left in charge in Iraq.” Sanchez alleges that Rumsfeld “was attempting to level all the blame on his generals.”

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In this Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, file photo, former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing to discuss the death...   (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the U.S. military commander in Iraq is shown in this 2003 file photo in Baghdad.   (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, FILE)
Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007.   (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
President Bush declares the end of major combat in Iraq May 1, 2003.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Iraqi soldier walks across tombstones at the Wadi al -Sallam cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.   (AP Photo)
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gestures during a media briefing at the Pentagon in this Oct. 26, 2006 file photo.   (AP Photo/Chris Greenberg, File)
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Iraq war  • US Army  • Donald Rumsfeld  • Abu Ghraib  • Department of Defense  • Ricardo Sanchez  • cover up  • CentCom


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