Retired US generals, diplomats criticize Bush Middle East policy

Bush only pretends to listen to Generals and such. Actually, he doesn't give a flying rat's ass what anyone says, except Unka Dick, whom he cofuses with God.

Print Story: Retired US generals, diplomats criticize Bush Middle East policy on Yahoo! News:

A group of former diplomats and retired generals called on President George W. Bush to open negotiations with Iran, warning that the use of military force would have catastrophic consequences for the region.

The open letter signed by 21 former senior officials comes amid growing criticism of US refusal to deal directly with Iran and Syria despite crises in Iraq and Lebanon.

'As former military leaders and foreign policy officials, we call on the Bush administration to engage immediately in direct talks with the government of Iran without preconditions to help resolve the current crisis in the Middle East and settle differences over the Iranian nuclear program,' the letter said.

'We strongly caution against any consideration of the use of military force against Iran. The current crises must be resolved through diplomacy, not military action,' it said.

It warned that an attack on Iran would have disastrous consequences for the region and for US forces in Iraq, further inflaming Muslim hatred and violence.

Among the signers were retired general Joseph Hoar, a former commander of US forces in the Middle East, and Morton Halperin, a former State Department director of policy planning.

Halperin accused the Bush administration of stifling debate on Middle East policy 'by accusing anybody that disagrees with it of being disloyal or somehow helping the terrorists.'