Delta Force Founder Eric Haney: Iraq an "Utter Debacle" - The Orange Mane

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 03-29-2006, 11:58 PM

Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force" (Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories, though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to estimate the number of times he was almost killed. (Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the hostages in Iran.) Today, he's doing nothing nearly as dangerous: He serves as an executive producer and technical adviser for "The Unit," CBS' new hit drama based on his book, developed by playwright David Mamet. Even up against "American Idol," "The Unit" shows muscle, drawing 18 million viewers in its first two airings.

Since he has devoted his life to protecting his country in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots, you might assume Haney is sympathetic to the Bush administration's current plight in Iraq (the laudatory cover blurb on his book comes from none other than Fox's News' Bill O'Reilly). But he's also someone with close ties to the Pentagon, so he's privy to information denied the rest of us.

We recently spoke to Haney, an amiable, soft-spoken Southern gentleman, on the set of "The Unit."

Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.

We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.

Q: What is the cost to our country?

A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. ... And I say "we," because the American public went along with this. They voted for a second Bush administration out of fear, so fear is what they're going to have from now on.

Our military is completely consumed, so were there a real threat - thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world, but were there one, we couldn't confront it. Right now, that may not be a bad thing, because that keeps Bush from trying something with Iran or with Venezuela.

The harm that has been done is irreparable. There are more than 2,000 American kids that have been killed. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed ñ which no one in the U.S. really cares about those people, do they? I never hear anybody lament that fact. It has been a horror, and this administration has worked overtime to divert the American public's attention from it. Their lies are coming home to roost now, and it's gonna fall apart. But somebody's gonna have to clear up the aftermath and the harm that it's done just to what America stands for. It may be two or three generations in repairing.

Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney ...

A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It's about vengeance, it's about revenge, or it's about cover-up. You don't gain intelligence that way. Everyone in the world knows that. It's worse than small-minded, and look what it does.

I've argued this on Bill O'Reilly and other Fox News shows. I ask, who would you want to pay to be a torturer? Do you want someone that the American public pays to torture? He's an employee of yours. It's worse than ridiculous. It's criminal; it's utterly criminal. This administration has been masters of diverting attention away from real issues and debating the silly. Debating what constitutes torture: Mistreatment of helpless people in your power is torture, period. And (I'm saying this as) a man who has been involved in the most pointed of our activities. I know it, and all of my mates know it. You don't do it. It's an act of cowardice. I hear apologists for torture say, "Well, they do it to us." Which is a ludicrous argument. ... The Saddam Husseins of the world are not our teachers. Christ almighty, we wrote a Constitution saying what's legal and what we believed in. Now we're going to throw it away.

Q: As someone who repeatedly put your life on the line, did some of the most hair-raising things to protect your country, and to see your country behave this way, that must be ...

A: It's pretty galling. But ultimately I believe in the good and the decency of the American people, and they're starting to see what's happening and the lies that have been told. We're seeing this current house of cards start to flutter away. The American people come around. They always do.

http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_3641046

ClevelandBronco · 03-30-2006, 01:10 AM

Quick reactions, because LAFF craves reaction:

1. Third world war, my ass. This is the fourth world war and we didn't make up the guest list. We were first invited to attend in 1978. Unfortunately, we were still engaged in the third world war and couldn't focus ourselves on the fourth yet.

2. If I had wanted a presidency that would have been based on fear, I would have voted for Kerry. Bush's election was based upon strength. Kerry's unsuccessful campaign was based upon fear and cowering in our own little corner. I still say you guys could have won the election if you hadn't put up so poor an option.

3. "...thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world..." I can't think of any way to add to the revelation of the absolute shortsightedness of this opinion.

4. Alan Dershowitz has laid out a pretty good starting idea for legal interrogation techniques, IMO.

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 03-30-2006, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Quick reactions, because LAFF craves reaction

Starting with an ad hominem right off the bat, eh?

I guess that's all you have left when you're a Dim Son supporter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

1. Third world war, my ass. This is the fourth world war and we didn't make up the guest list. We were first invited to attend in 1978. Unfortunately, we were still engaged in the third world war and couldn't focus ourselves on the fourth yet.

Hmmm....let's see:

Whose expert opinion should we take more seriously here?

A a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army who was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit - a man who has devoted his life to protecting his country in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots - or some guy on a football forum who calls himself "ClevelandBronco?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Bush's election was based upon a false, manufactured appearance of strength which was thoroughly exposed as a fraud. Kerry's unsuccessful campaign was based upon failure to effectively counter typical Rovian dirty tricks (read: Swift Boat Liars for Bush) and GOP election fraud (read: Diebold.)

Fixed it for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

...thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world..." I can't think of any way to add to the revelation of the absolute shortsightedness of this opinion.

See response to #1.

Again, the idea that CB thinks he's better informed on this topic than a man of Haney's experience and qualifications would be hilarious (were it not such a disturbing example of the sort of pathological grandiosity and delusion exhibited by the fringe minority who still endeavor to prop up the BushCo house of cards.)

Atlas · 03-30-2006, 05:46 AM

That's a pretty strong article. Props to Cleveland for even trying to take it on.

This whole administration is a debacle. The Dems really need to take back the house and senate this year.

TailgateNut · 03-30-2006, 10:09 AM

Thanks for the post. I like guys who have a set, and are willing to see things as they are, and are not afraid to tell the truth.
In addition I definately value his opinion, whereas I wouldn't give any merit to Clevelands talking points regarding issues surrounding his hero's f-ups! Bush is a soul-less corporate whore with only a few pimps left in the ranks to promote his failed product!

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 03-30-2006, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

Bush is a soul-less corporate whore with only a few pimps left in the ranks to promote his failed product!

That's a perfect characterization!

(Especially when you look it what he's doing with this whole immigration thing.)

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03-29-2006, 11:58 PM	#1
L.A. BRONCOS FAN Mo' holla fo' yo' dolla! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: In a bunker in an undisclosed location Posts: 52,694	Delta Force Founder Eric Haney: Iraq an "Utter Debacle" Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force" (Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories, though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to estimate the number of times he was almost killed. (Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the hostages in Iran.) Today, he's doing nothing nearly as dangerous: He serves as an executive producer and technical adviser for "The Unit," CBS' new hit drama based on his book, developed by playwright David Mamet. Even up against "American Idol," "The Unit" shows muscle, drawing 18 million viewers in its first two airings. Since he has devoted his life to protecting his country in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots, you might assume Haney is sympathetic to the Bush administration's current plight in Iraq (the laudatory cover blurb on his book comes from none other than Fox's News' Bill O'Reilly). But he's also someone with close ties to the Pentagon, so he's privy to information denied the rest of us. We recently spoke to Haney, an amiable, soft-spoken Southern gentleman, on the set of "The Unit." Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq? A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward. We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies. Q: What is the cost to our country? A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. ... And I say "we," because the American public went along with this. They voted for a second Bush administration out of fear, so fear is what they're going to have from now on. Our military is completely consumed, so were there a real threat - thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world, but were there one, we couldn't confront it. Right now, that may not be a bad thing, because that keeps Bush from trying something with Iran or with Venezuela. The harm that has been done is irreparable. There are more than 2,000 American kids that have been killed. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed ñ which no one in the U.S. really cares about those people, do they? I never hear anybody lament that fact. It has been a horror, and this administration has worked overtime to divert the American public's attention from it. Their lies are coming home to roost now, and it's gonna fall apart. But somebody's gonna have to clear up the aftermath and the harm that it's done just to what America stands for. It may be two or three generations in repairing. Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney ... A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It's about vengeance, it's about revenge, or it's about cover-up. You don't gain intelligence that way. Everyone in the world knows that. It's worse than small-minded, and look what it does. I've argued this on Bill O'Reilly and other Fox News shows. I ask, who would you want to pay to be a torturer? Do you want someone that the American public pays to torture? He's an employee of yours. It's worse than ridiculous. It's criminal; it's utterly criminal. This administration has been masters of diverting attention away from real issues and debating the silly. Debating what constitutes torture: Mistreatment of helpless people in your power is torture, period. And (I'm saying this as) a man who has been involved in the most pointed of our activities. I know it, and all of my mates know it. You don't do it. It's an act of cowardice. I hear apologists for torture say, "Well, they do it to us." Which is a ludicrous argument. ... The Saddam Husseins of the world are not our teachers. Christ almighty, we wrote a Constitution saying what's legal and what we believed in. Now we're going to throw it away. Q: As someone who repeatedly put your life on the line, did some of the most hair-raising things to protect your country, and to see your country behave this way, that must be ... A: It's pretty galling. But ultimately I believe in the good and the decency of the American people, and they're starting to see what's happening and the lies that have been told. We're seeing this current house of cards start to flutter away. The American people come around. They always do. http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_3641046

03-30-2006, 01:10 AM	#2
ClevelandBronco Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Freedonia Posts: 1,643	Quick reactions, because LAFF craves reaction: 1. Third world war, my ass. This is the fourth world war and we didn't make up the guest list. We were first invited to attend in 1978. Unfortunately, we were still engaged in the third world war and couldn't focus ourselves on the fourth yet. 2. If I had wanted a presidency that would have been based on fear, I would have voted for Kerry. Bush's election was based upon strength. Kerry's unsuccessful campaign was based upon fear and cowering in our own little corner. I still say you guys could have won the election if you hadn't put up so poor an option. 3. "...thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world..." I can't think of any way to add to the revelation of the absolute shortsightedness of this opinion. 4. Alan Dershowitz has laid out a pretty good starting idea for legal interrogation techniques, IMO.

03-30-2006, 05:46 AM	#4
Atlas Draft Defense Early&Often Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 18,526	That's a pretty strong article. Props to Cleveland for even trying to take it on. This whole administration is a debacle. The Dems really need to take back the house and senate this year.

03-30-2006, 10:09 AM	#5
TailgateNut Bleedin' orange! .......as much as tebonites Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mile High Posts: 20,018 Adopt-a-Bronco: Howard Griffith	Thanks for the post. I like guys who have a set, and are willing to see things as they are, and are not afraid to tell the truth. In addition I definately value his opinion, whereas I wouldn't give any merit to Clevelands talking points regarding issues surrounding his hero's f-ups! Bush is a soul-less corporate whore with only a few pimps left in the ranks to promote his failed product!