Rumsfeld critics play into terrorists’ hands

April 21, 2006 12:14 am

— Six retired generals have called for Donald Rumsfeld to resign, accusing him of mishandling the Iraq war, ignoring advice of field commanders and having an arrogant management style.
These retired generals don’t seem to fathom that they are more of a terrorist target than active-duty generals on the front lines of Iraq.
One would expect that these retired, seasoned generals would understand the tactics, the target and goal of terrorists’ psychological operations (PSYOP) warfare and that they might have come to realize that as such, six targeted retired generals would be a heavily prized target of al-Qaida.
There must be a tremendous terrorist victory party in Iraq today, celebrating their successful PSYOP tactics in the defeat of six targeted retired U.S. generals, a goal that could not have been accomplished with even the most advanced military weaponry. It’s still a major victory even considering that only six of thousands of U.S. generals suffered defeat.
But of course, as seasoned U.S. generals should well know, this defeat defines PSYOP. Hopefully, before additional U.S. generals might fall to defeat, suggested review of War College reading might include Napoleon Bonaparte, who opined: “There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind.”

Armond “Si” Simmons
Pell City, Ala.