If they can't fight Rumsfeld, no wonder they're having trouble with insurgents

On Sunday's Meet the Press, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Bernard Trainor maintained that the military was thinking in terms of 385,000 people needed for the "post-victory phase" in Iraq. But, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld "pooh-poohed" those estimates, and our military leaders caved in.

When Tim Russert pressed Gen. Trainor on why military leaders didn't do more to win Rumsfeld over to their position, Trainor's response, if true, is an amazing indictment of the US military (and Marine) leadership.

GEN. TRAINOR: Secretary Rumsfeld is a tough hombre to deal with, and he has a management technique that wears you down. Constantly asks questions and diverts you from the position that you’re trying to establish by attacking you from a different direction. Just wears you down. Having said that, I’d say that the U.S. military did not shine in, in pushing back against Rumsfeld more effectively. They, in effect, gave up and did everything that he pretty, pretty much wanted to do.
[emphasis mine]

Now, here's a tough Marine commander who understands how difficult it is to deal with being verbally attacked from different directions. Not only that, he accepts how a general (or generals) would naturally get worn down from that!

Imagine this coming out of the mouth of Terry Allen, Tony McAuliffe, George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur. Imagine this coming out of the mouths of the brave men and women on the fighting field in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Hey, it's just too tough when you have verbal attacks coming from different directions."

Sorry, I can't imagine it.

Either current U.S. military leaders are the biggest bunch of wimps in our history or there's a part of the tale that Gen. Trainor is not telling--or doesn't understand.

Given the brilliant military leadership and courage that went into the successes of taking down Saddam and the Taliban in short order, I tend towards thinking that Gen. Trainor is not the person to look to for military analysis.