http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hirsch.php?articleid=8678

March 10, 2006
Gen. Pace to Troops: Don't Nuke Iran
Illegal, immoral orders should be disobeyed
by Jorge Hirsch

At the luncheon of the National Press Club on Feb. 17, 2006, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, was asked by his interviewer, John Donnelly: "Should people in the U.S. military disobey orders that they believe are illegal?" Pace's response:

"It is the absolute responsibility of everybody in uniform to disobey an order that is either illegal or immoral."

Thank you, Gen. Pace. Donnelly didn't follow up on his question, so I will, trusting that your answers to my questions will represent your core beliefs, stated on earlier occasions. Gen. Pace, how does your Feb. 17 statement apply to a situation in which troops are ordered to use certain weapons?

Pace: "[T]hey will be held accountable for the decisions they make. So they should in fact not obey the illegal and immoral orders to use weapons of mass destruction."

Now what about the commanders that receive orders from their superiors?

Pace: "I believe that a lot of the commanders, in fact, do recognize that they do have a free choice in this, that they should not execute orders that are illegal and immoral, such as any order to use any kind of a weapon of mass destruction."

But aren't commanders supposed to follow orders from their superiors, including the president and the secretary of defense?

Pace: "They can still not commit crimes against humanity. They can still not execute any kinds of orders that might tell them to use weapons of mass destruction."

And will these choices affect their future?

Pace: "[T]hey still have very clear choices to make, and their choices will have major impact, both on the troops who look to them for leadership right now and on their own personal fate when this is all over."

And Gen. Pace, do you trust U.S. servicemen and women to do the right thing?

Pace: "I think that there are Iraqi soldiers out there who know what is right and who will in fact disobey illegal and immoral orders."

Oops, wrong soldiers. Nonetheless, no one should doubt that if Pace trusts Iraqi soldiers to do the right thing, he will trust American soldiers to do the right thing.

Conclusion: The chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff has warned everybody in uniform that if they execute an illegal or immoral order or they instruct their subordinates to execute an illegal and immoral order involving the use of any kind of weapon of mass destruction, they are derelict in their "absolute responsibility," and consequently fully responsible for the "crimes against humanity" resulting from their choice. You obey your orders at your own risk. This includes every soldier and commander in the U.S. armed forces. Thank you, Gen. Pace.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Pace is one of the good ones. He has a clear moral compass that tells him what is right and what is criminal. That is the good news...

I honestly believe the people who wrote this second article about nuking Iran must be delusional. What's really disgusting is there are folks out tere who read this an believe it.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24358
Congressman John Olver Believes Bush Will Cancel 2008 Elections, Still Refuses to Support Impeaching Him or Cheney
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2007-07-05 23:29. Congress | Impeachment
By Bob Feuer

At 9 am, some twenty of the successful presenters of impeachment resolutions at their W. Mass. annual town meetings met at the Jones Library in Amherst, MA. We ratified our agenda and prepared ourselves for our 10 am meeting with Cong. John Olver.

At about 10 am, the congressman came into the room with his aid, and Susie Patlove welcomed the congressman, laid out our agenda, and the congressman approved. We commenced with individual introductions and brief reports on the outcomes in each of our towns. Cong. Olver asked us to spare him a review of what he already knew and believed about the crimes of the Bush administration, and of the overwhelming majority of his district in favor of impeachment. When he aggrandized himself on his voting record, I took exception to 24 April 2007. When he asked what I was referring to, I challenged him to co-sponsor H. Res. 333; and he emphatically refused.

Nonetheless, we informed him of the good that would come out of an impeachment, and gave intelligent and caring answers to all of the objections he might harbor. We had present a young U.S. soldier, a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations, who directly asked the congressman what could we do to move him towards co-signing H. Res. 333. The congressman did not answer that direct question.

He is deeply concerned whether we will actually have an election in Nov. '08, as he believes this administration will likely strike Iran from the air, declare a national emergency, and cancel the '08 elections. He sees ending the war as his primary goal, and he believes the brilliant Nancy Pelosi has a strategy more potent than impeachment. He thinks impeachment is a futile waste of legislative energy, will be harmful of democratic '08 victories, and further tighten the "gridlock" he has complained of for the past few decades.

We adjourned at 11:45 am.

Bottom line: It's the Beltway, stupid.

Pace still lost his war on his watch. Praise him all you wish. He is still a looser. He still is a Bush ass kisser and a religious nut case. He will go down as just another Bush general, picked to say yes and not to win wars.