There are two possible explanations for the impending retirement of Army General John Abizaid, who currently commands all U.S. troops in the Middle East.
The first is that Abizaid has led the fight in Iraq for three years and we’ve lost thousands of lives and moved backwards over that time (see graphic on left side at this link), to the point where, amazingly, the most stubborn-minded segments of American society are admitting we’re not winning. Even in an administration where accountability doesn’t exist, those responsible for failure sometimes leave on their own.
The second is that Abizaid opposes adding more troops to the war effort, saying publicly that it will exacerbate problems in country. Since Bush and the Pentagon are formulating plans to send more troops to Iraq, Abizaid may be receiving the boot out of respect or out of a desire to make the troop movement easier.
Who knows? Maybe Abizaid will write a book telling all, like his predecessor. All we do know is that he’ll get a fancy award.
