This Week’s Podcast: Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard Myers (Ret.)
EmailIn our ABC News Shuffle Podcast this week (listen on iTunes or HERE) we interviewed former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers (Ret.), author of a new autobiography: "Eyes on the Horizon."
"Any time you look back there’s going to be some regrets because the road to where you are, or where you wound up, becomes a lot clearer," Myers said about his tenure as Joint Chiefs Chair, from 2001 to 2005. "When we transitioned from major combat in Iraq to the stability and reconstruction phase, that was not done as smoothly as it could’ve been, in my view. And people say, we didn’t plan for that. I would disagree. I think there was pretty good planning. I would say there was more in how we executed it…"
Myers said the U.S. was also following a flawed strategy in the war on terror.
"We need to step back and take a look at the broader strategy and the first thing we have to do is identify who is the adversary here," he said. "The way I think about it is I think about this struggle we’re having with violent extremism as being a global insurgency because you go around the world and there are violent extremists that are trying to delegitimize other governments. And you see it in Indonesia, you see it in Thailand, certainly Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan are obvious other places around the world where violent extremists try to delegitimize other governments.
"And we’ve got to somehow get the international community to think about what this threat means, how do we deal with violent extremists, the ones that will use terrorism, that will use any means or methods they could get their hands on, including nuclear or biological weapons," he said. "We’re not perfectly organized for this 21st century security challenge that we face, we’re more organized for World War II. … We are in a much more different situation now and we need to make sure we’re organized to address it."
We also talked to Myers about pirates, Defense Secretary Gates’ Pentagon budget proposal, interrogation techniques, whether or not the U.S. should have launched the war in Iraq, and other issues.
The ABC News Shuffle Podcast is produced by Huma Khan, and can be downloaded on iTunes or HERE.
– jpt
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I am a service disabled vet; my two brothers died from service; my two sons are vets.
I regard General Myers in very low esteem. When he could have given Bush good honest professional advice on withdrawing from Afrans and the Iraq War, he chose to become and remain a “yes” man for Cheney and the like.
He served his country ill while he was Chairman.
Posted by: Beto | April 14, 2009, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
After all this macho chest-thumping by Obama-now that he has proven he’s a hero by defeating the pirates…
Can he just go back to being a wimp again?
Posted by: nick | April 14, 2009, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
Obamacrat for Palin -
If you’re for Palin, you were never for Obama. It’s okay. You lost. Get over it.
Anyhow, your simplistic view of the world is what got us into trouble.
If you think giving Republicans control again would turn the economy around overnight, then let’s do it. But it doesn’t work that way.
You should go watch the speech that George Bush made on May 17 2002, crowing about encouraging home ownership for those that can’t afford those pesky down payments, and how he was getting 440 billion for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.. It’s on you tube.
So tell me – this is when Republicans had complete control – what do you think? You and yours want to blame all this on Barney Frank and Chris Dodd – do you see them next to Bush on that podium? Huh? Do you?
Nope – that’s your guy up there, with a 100% Republican Congress for him to work with.
Anyway, my point is that it took another 5 years after Bush made that speech for things to fall apart. That ain’t overnight.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats are the answer – I forget who said it, but they are 2 wings flapping the same bird, and the bird has given the US over to the financial sector. The long term answer is for us to become educated about the choices we make, not just knee-jerk blind followers of ranting snake-oil salesman like Hannity et. al. There are good Republicans and good Democrats, and bad on both sides. Obama is a good one, and 70%+ of America agrees, so far.
As for Obama and the pirates, I don’t think he went down to Somalia with an M4 to personally shoot them, do you? I bet he’s not that good a shot.
And, if they had gone in right away with Guns-a-blazin’, as you and Sean “The Entertainer” Hannity wanted, there most likely would have been 3 dead pirates and one dead captain. Planning, patience are actually GOOD things, even if waiting 3 days ‘shaping the battlefield’ don’t satisfy the critics like you and Hannity – who don’t ever actually have to DO anything except criticise.
Posted by: Steve From NH | April 14, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
“The year before that election, from the opening bell of 9/11/2001 to election day 2002, was one of the worst years in recorded history, yet as soon as Republicans took over Washington, we had six years of uninterrupted prosperity”
Interesting delusion in which the Republicans, in complete control of the House and the Executive branch and with a power sharing agreement with the Democrats, were somehow not responsible for anything bad that happened on their watch yet they take credit for anything good.
Posted by: Ryan C | April 14, 2009, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
excepting IF terrorists get a hold of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons the “terrorists” are not the biggist threat. Even IF they got a nuke it would likely be a small one….still horrible! But nothing like a threat from Russia, China, N.Korea, etc if they become unfriendly or outright hostile. Likewise with chemical and biological (though with bio you have more concern). All of these take pretty high technology to do severe damage outside a limited area (a city, maximum.) AGAIN…which is HORRIBLE and not acceptable! But let’s not forget that a State actor with these weapons who becomes an enemy is FAR MORE DANGEROUS. And likely the terrorists would have to gain this material from a State actor. Let’s not lose the plot chasing 3rd world deviates and ignore big state actors who have far more money, expertise, leverage, experience, and ability to do harm (financially, militarily, etc.)
Posted by: Ed | April 14, 2009, 9:45 pm 9:45 pm
Many of the “War on Terror” issues facing governments are actually law enforcement issues. Murder, kidnapping, money-laundering, etc., are generally regarded by the international community as illegal. Stronger support to INTERPOL would help.
Posted by: k. daraa | April 17, 2009, 1:21 am 1:21 am
We can’t wait for Europe, the stakes are too high. If we want to be an oil importer, than we are going to have to kill to retain that right. We should kill the people providing the arms to jihadi’s. Go to the source. I think you’ll find the weapons used arrive from one country.
Posted by: Mr. Sampson | May 6, 2009, 9:37 am 9:37 am
Steve From NH |You boy do you have your facts wrong, go back and look at what the Clinton admin was doing with RIA Read Barney Franks remarks about how the Freddie and fannie was doing great and they didn’t need any more regulation ( By the way he was sleeping with a male VP at Fannie May)You forgot to mention that the Bush Admin in 2004 tried get a bill thru congress that would tighten up regulation on Fannie and Freddie lending requirements BUT your friend Barney tried to block it in the house and Chris Dodd block it from coming to the floor in the senate Just because your in the majority doesn’t mean you get all the bills passed you want You need to go back to school and learn how the system works
Posted by: Wayne | May 6, 2009, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
Are these leaders fooling us indefinitely? All the insurgents in the world do not controll a single territory that produces arms. the ordinary person is used as a puppet by the arms industry to be in business. The Taleban, Al Queda, and all the other insurgents will not kill our men if these leader will not look the other way as industries in their countries sell the weapons to them to kill our boys. When are we going to see the real enemy?
Posted by: Lewis | May 7, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
We were a lot safer before we invaded Iraq.Our intelligenice alertd us to the plot,which was ignored.We were able to covertly nuetralize these extremists without the fanfire.Inaddition by trying to set up democracies we’ve basiically setup military outposts.Some how we’ve got to get back to our previous policies and where democracies we being formed by the people and not by us.If anyone know how to do this, they need to let the rest of us in on the solution.
Posted by: mike | May 13, 2009, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm