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EspañolJOHN BATISTE
General Batiste in a video advertisement for VoteVets.org.
Major General 'John Batiste' (
★ ca. 1953[1]) is a retired officer of the United States Army.More Retired Generals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation, ''New York Times'', April 13 2006 - mirror
From March 2001 to June 2002 he worked with Paul Wolfowitz, and was involved in the very early planning stages of the Iraq war. In spring 2002 Eric Shinseki chose Batiste to be commander of the First Infantry Division of the United States Army, which was deployed to Iraq in December 2003, during the war.[2]
=Post Military=
After retiring from the Army, Batiste enetered into the private sector, most notably working for Klein Steel, in Rochester, New York.
2006
Criticism of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
In 2006, Batiste before the U.S. Senate testified to the lack of leadership by Donald H. Rumsfeld. He explained that Rumsfeld threatened those who brought up views conflicting with those of the Secretary with being fired on the spot. [1]
He was some time afterwards employed as a consultant to CBS News.
The Associated Press reported Batiste said, on CBS's The Early Show:Bush gives Rumsfeld vote of confidence, ''Houston Chronicle'', April 14 2006
''"...we went to war with a flawed plan that didn't account for the hard work to build the peace after we took down the regime. We also served under a secretary of defense who didn't understand leadership, who was abusive, who was arrogant, and who didn't build a strong team."
According to The Oregonian Batiste said: ''"I think the current administration repeatedly ignored sound military advice and counsel with respect to the war plans.A chorus of dissent against the defense secretary, ''The Oregonian'' April 15 2006"
On MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews on August 25, 2006 Batiste said:
''Donald Rumsfeld is still at the helm of the Department of Defense, which is absolutely outrageous. He served up our great military a huge bowl of chicken feces, and ever since then, our military and our country have been trying to turn this bowl into chicken salad. And it’s not working.''[3]
Comments on the case of Steven D. Green
Batiste commented on the case of Steven D. Green, a former private, who is alleged to have been the ringleader of a plot to rape and murder Abeer Qasim Hamza, and the murder of her family. According to the Washington Post: Ex-Soldier Charged in Killing of Iraqi Family: Coverup Is Alleged; Four Others Implicated, ''Washington Post'', July 4 2006
"''The military is a reflection of society, and because of that there is always a percentage of soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors who get it terribly wrong,''"'' Batiste said. ''"''I also think the people of Iraq respect the U.S. military and will keep that in perspective. They'll appreciate the way we investigate and hold people accountable.''"
Comments on the idea of a "war-czar" in the Bush administration
Regarding the idea of a "war-czar" post in president Bush's U.S. government cabinet, Batiste commented:
"''Standing up a war czar is just throwing in another layer of bureaucracy. Excuse me -- we have a chain of command already and it's time for our leaders to step up and take charge.''"[4]
Iraq War Recommendations
JIM LEHRER: If the leadership of the U.S. government had listened to you and your fellow military leaders, what would be the situation in Iraq today?
MAJ. GEN. JOHN BATISTE: Well, first off, I think we have got to complete the mission in Iraq. We have no option; we need to be successful; we need to set the Iraqi people up for self-reliance.
With their form of representative government that takes into account tribal, religious and ethnic complexity that defines that country is nothing new. The Brits had a hell of a time with that in the '10s and '20s of the last century, nothing new at all. And we got to set them up for self-reliance so they can go on it on their own.
I think we're going to be successful. There's nothing this country can't do, if we put our mind to it, but we need to do it right. We need to mobilize this country. [2]
" Secondary interests are that our withdrawal can not create a humanitarian disaster or an Iraq dominated by another state(s) in the region. This may require a residual force of up to 30,000 US troops for decades to protect the US mission, train and advise the Iraqi security forces, provide a counter balance to unintended consequences of Iran and a greater “Kurdistan”, and take direct action against residual Al Qaeda in Iraq. We cannot walk away from our strategic interests. "[3]
Iraq War ad controversy
In 2007 Batiste appeared in a political ad for VoteVets.org, variations of which which were shown in a number of congressional districts.[4] The ad consists of Batiste saying into the camera, "Mr. President, you have placed our nation in peril," and that the only hope is for Congress to act to "protect our troops." On Youtube.com the 30 second film earned 27 Honors in under 48 hours.
On Foxnews Bill O'Reilly attacked the ad, and openly speculated that Batiste is now "looking out for politics" rather than the troops in Iraq.[5]
The next day CBS stated that Batiste had violated his contract with them by appearing in the ad, particularly because it was used to raise money for political purposes, and that his position as a consultant would be terminated.[5] A movement soon crystallized to denounce CBS's action as censorship of positions against the Iraq war, charging that CBS took no action against consultants who made pro-Bush comments; Over 230,000 signatures have been collected on a petition demanding he be rehired.[6]
References
1. David Margolick: "The Night of the Generals" ''Vanity Fair'', April 2007
2. Batiste declined a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General and subsequently asked to be retired from active duty, because he was concerned about U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's policies concerning the war.Bush gives Rumsfeld vote of confidence, ''Houston Chronicle'', April 14 2006
3. Gen. Batiste: Rumsfeld ‘Served Up Our Great Military A Huge Bowl of Chicken Feces’, Think Progress
4. "In White House Plan, War 'Czar' Would Cut Through Bureaucracy", Peter Baker and Thomas E. Ricks, Friday, April 13, 2007; Page A13
5. CBS News Asks Batiste To Step Down As Consultant Brian Montopoli
6. CBS Fires Batiste For Anti-Bush Advocacy, Hires Bush Aide To Engage In Pro-Bush Advocacy
★ Gen. Batiste’s Op-Ed That The WSJ And The Washington Times Didn’t Want You To See
★ http://youtube.com/results?search_query=John+Batiste
★ Wide-ranging one-hour interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!
★ Division Commanders Express Optimism in Iraq, ''US Department of Defense'', November 15 2004
★ US Officials: Iraqi Forces Improving, But Coalition to Stay, ''Voice of America'', January 14 2005
★ 1st Infantry Division Pre-Deployment Dinner, ''US Department of Defense'', January 31 2004
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