How about a little of this before retirement?

I know there are constraints on military men speaking freely. But just once I'd like to see a story like this attributed to a CURRENT general:

A fourth former US army general in less than a month today called on the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, to resign over his handling of the war in Iraq.

Retired Major General John Batiste - who commanded the US 1st Infantry Division in Iraq from 2004 until last year - criticised Mr Rumsfeld's authoritarian style and called for a "fresh start" at the top of the Pentagon.

"We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork," Maj Gen Batiste said.

He told CNN he believed the Bush administration's handling of the war had violated fundamental military principles such as unity of command and unity of effort.

He said negative feelings among US generals he served with were widespread, and there was almost universal belief that Mr Rumsfeld did not treat military leaders and their opinions with respect.

He joins former Major Gen. Paul Eaton, former CentCom head Gen. Anthony Zinni, and Lt. Gen. Greg Newbold, all of whom asked Rumsfeld to step down - after retiring. These are honorable men. I believe they would speak their minds if allowed. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace said there is freedom of speech in the armed forces:

On Tuesday, General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said generals had the chance to voice their concerns during the planning of the Iraq invasion.

"We had then and have now every opportunity to speak our minds, and if we do not, shame on us," he said at a Pentagon briefing.

I don't know how that squares with all these guys champing at the bit to criticize the war effort as soon as they leave.

Look, of course Rumnsfeld should go. Iraq has been a mismanaged effort from Day One, built on the belief of transformation rather than the reality on the ground. I don't know if it will help turn things around; it's hard to put the genie back in the bottle. But America is desperate for accountability for these mistakes. Actually I don't think anything would help this President more than firing Rumsfeld. Of course, I don't expect it.