thedrifter
09-24-07, 10:21 AM
Lt. Gen. Sanchez, retired top commander in Iraq, gets standing ovation at veterans summit
By: ELIZABETH WHITE - Associated Press
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who spent a tumultuous year as the U.S. commander in Iraq, said Saturday that partisanship is preventing agreement on a strategy that would help the U.S. take on the threat of Islamic extremism.
Sanchez drew a standing ovation with his speech at a veterans summit sponsored by U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, and afterward was mobbed for autographs.
About 200 veterans and their families attended the event.
"My assessment is that we have a crisis in national political leadership. When will America recognize the danger we face?" Sanchez asked. "When will the corrosive partisanship of American politics end and allow for a bipartisan solution to arguably the most dangerous threat our nation has faced in over 60 years?"
After his speech, Sanchez wouldn't name names, but told The Associated Press he was referring to "the most senior leadership in our nation."
"We have failed as a nation to bring together a grand strategy and that is creating a large part of the difficulty we face in this current war effort," he said.
Sanchez became the senior U.S. commander in Iraq in June 2003, two months after the fall of Baghdad, and held the post until June 2004. He retired in November 2006.
Sanchez was faulted by some for leadership failures in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. He was not accused of any misconduct but was criticized for not doing more to avoid mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.
Ellie
By: ELIZABETH WHITE - Associated Press
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who spent a tumultuous year as the U.S. commander in Iraq, said Saturday that partisanship is preventing agreement on a strategy that would help the U.S. take on the threat of Islamic extremism.
Sanchez drew a standing ovation with his speech at a veterans summit sponsored by U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, and afterward was mobbed for autographs.
About 200 veterans and their families attended the event.
"My assessment is that we have a crisis in national political leadership. When will America recognize the danger we face?" Sanchez asked. "When will the corrosive partisanship of American politics end and allow for a bipartisan solution to arguably the most dangerous threat our nation has faced in over 60 years?"
After his speech, Sanchez wouldn't name names, but told The Associated Press he was referring to "the most senior leadership in our nation."
"We have failed as a nation to bring together a grand strategy and that is creating a large part of the difficulty we face in this current war effort," he said.
Sanchez became the senior U.S. commander in Iraq in June 2003, two months after the fall of Baghdad, and held the post until June 2004. He retired in November 2006.
Sanchez was faulted by some for leadership failures in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. He was not accused of any misconduct but was criticized for not doing more to avoid mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.
Ellie