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Ex-Commander Attacks War Plans

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By DAVID S. CLOUD, The New York Times

Published: October 13, 2007

WASHINGTON - In a sweeping indictment of the four-year effort in Iraq, the former top commander of American forces there called the Bush administration's handling of the war 'incompetent' and said the result is 'a nightmare with no end in sight.'

Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, who retired in 2006 after being replaced in Iraq after the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, blamed the Bush administration for a 'catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan' and denounced the current addition of American forces as a 'desperate' move that would not achieve long-term stability.

'After more than four years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn country or in the greater conflict against extremism,' Sanchez said at a gathering of military reporters and editors in Arlington, Va.

He is the most senior war commander of a string of retired officers who have harshly criticized the administration's conduct of the war. Although much of the previous condemnation has been focused on the role of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Sanchez's was an unusually broad attack on the overall course of the war.

His role as commander in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib scandal leaves him vulnerable to criticism that he is shifting the blame from himself to the administration that ultimately replaced him and declined to nominate him for a fourth star, forcing his retirement.

Though he was cleared of wrongdoing in the abuses after an inquiry by the Army's inspector general, Sanchez became a symbol - with civilian officials such as L. Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority - of ineffective American leadership early in the occupation.

Sanchez said he was convinced the American effort in Iraq was failing the day after he took command, in June 2003. Asked why he waited until nearly a year after his retirement to voice his concerns publicly, he responded that it was not the place of active duty officers to challenge lawful orders from civilian authorities.

Sanchez, who is said to be considering writing a book, promised further public statements criticizing officials by name.

'There has been a glaring and unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders,' he said, adding that civilian officials have been 'derelict in their duties' and guilty of a 'lust for power.'

White House officials would not comment directly on Sanchez's remarks.

Kate Starr, a White House spokeswoman, noted that Gen. David Petraeus, the current top commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador to Baghdad, said in their testimony to Congress last month that 'there's more work to be done, but progress is being made in Iraq. And that's what we're focused on now.'

Sanchez has been criticized by some current and retired officers for failing to recognize the growing insurgency in Iraq during his year in command and for failing to put together a plan to unify the disparate military effort, a task that was finally carried out when his successor, Gen. George Casey, took over in mid-2006.

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