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http://www.usatoday.com/news/politic...als-bush_x.htm
More than two dozen retired high-level U.S. diplomats and military officials, including many who say they voted for President Bush, Wednesday will issue a harsh indictment of the administration's foreign and defense policies.
"Never in the two and a quarter centuries of our history has the United States been so isolated among the nations, so broadly feared and distrusted," the statement says. The document accuses Bush of adopting "an overbearing approach to America's role in the world" that has weakened U.S. security and "led the United States into an ill-planned and costly war from which exit is uncertain."
Harrop said he and many others who signed had voted for Bush but had become dismayed that his foreign policy, in their view, diverged from the multilateralism associated with prior Republican as well as Democratic administrations.
The 26 original signatories include retired admiral William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Ronald Reagan and ambassador to Great Britain under Bill Clinton; Jack Matlock, ambassador to the Soviet Union in the Reagan administration; retired admiral Stansfield Turner, who was CIA director in the Carter administration; and retired general Tony McPeak, Air Force chief of staff in the first Bush administration.
Opening statment from press conference:
http://www.diplomatsforchange.com/press/opening.html
Quote
"Before reading the statement, I would add that to be involved in an act that will be seen by many as political if not partisan is for many of us a new experience. As career government officials, we have served loyally both Republican and Democratic administrations. We have not only worked overseas; we have also held positions of major responsibility in the Department of State, Department of Defense, National Security Council, and at the United Nations. For many of us, such an overt step is very hard to do and we have made our decisions after deep reflection."
and
"Today we see that structure crumbling under an administration blinded by ideology and a callous indifference to the realities of the world around it. Never before have so many of us felt the need for a major change in the direction of our foreign policy."
The official statement:
http://www.diplomatsforchange.com/project/project.html
Quote
"We face profound challenges in the 21st Century: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, unequal distribution of wealth and the fruits of globalization, terrorism, environmental degradation, population growth in the developing world, HIV/AIDS, ethnic and religious confrontations. Such problems can not be resolved by military force, nor by the sole remaining superpower alone; they demand patient, coordinated global effort under the leadership of the United States.
The Bush Administration has shown that it does not grasp these circumstances of the new era, and is not able to rise to the responsibilities of world leadership in either style or substance. It is time for a change. "
More than two dozen retired high-level U.S. diplomats and military officials, including many who say they voted for President Bush, Wednesday will issue a harsh indictment of the administration's foreign and defense policies.
"Never in the two and a quarter centuries of our history has the United States been so isolated among the nations, so broadly feared and distrusted," the statement says. The document accuses Bush of adopting "an overbearing approach to America's role in the world" that has weakened U.S. security and "led the United States into an ill-planned and costly war from which exit is uncertain."
Harrop said he and many others who signed had voted for Bush but had become dismayed that his foreign policy, in their view, diverged from the multilateralism associated with prior Republican as well as Democratic administrations.
The 26 original signatories include retired admiral William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Ronald Reagan and ambassador to Great Britain under Bill Clinton; Jack Matlock, ambassador to the Soviet Union in the Reagan administration; retired admiral Stansfield Turner, who was CIA director in the Carter administration; and retired general Tony McPeak, Air Force chief of staff in the first Bush administration.
Opening statment from press conference:
http://www.diplomatsforchange.com/press/opening.html
Quote
"Before reading the statement, I would add that to be involved in an act that will be seen by many as political if not partisan is for many of us a new experience. As career government officials, we have served loyally both Republican and Democratic administrations. We have not only worked overseas; we have also held positions of major responsibility in the Department of State, Department of Defense, National Security Council, and at the United Nations. For many of us, such an overt step is very hard to do and we have made our decisions after deep reflection."
and
"Today we see that structure crumbling under an administration blinded by ideology and a callous indifference to the realities of the world around it. Never before have so many of us felt the need for a major change in the direction of our foreign policy."
The official statement:
http://www.diplomatsforchange.com/project/project.html
Quote
"We face profound challenges in the 21st Century: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, unequal distribution of wealth and the fruits of globalization, terrorism, environmental degradation, population growth in the developing world, HIV/AIDS, ethnic and religious confrontations. Such problems can not be resolved by military force, nor by the sole remaining superpower alone; they demand patient, coordinated global effort under the leadership of the United States.
The Bush Administration has shown that it does not grasp these circumstances of the new era, and is not able to rise to the responsibilities of world leadership in either style or substance. It is time for a change. "
