Fallon resigns Pentagon post

Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 3:38 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: White House

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The top U.S. Commander for Iraq and Afghanistan, Admiral William “Fox” Fallon, resigned today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a news conference minutes ago. As NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reported this morning on the NBC News blog Field Notes, “The Pentagon sharks [were] circling ... Fallon for a magazine interview in which he appears to openly criticize President Bush on the administration's Iran policy. The very public comments raised speculation Fallon would either volunteer or be forced to resign."

Per AP, "Gates said Fallon had asked him Tuesday morning for permission to retire and Gates agreed. Gates said the decision was entirely Fallon's and that Gates believed it was 'the right thing to do.'" Gates also denied that Fallon's position on Iran policy was any different than that of the president's, despite the current issue of Esquire Magazine , which "portrays Fallon as the one person in the military or Pentagon standing between the White House and war with Iran," Miklaszewski writes. "The article credits Fallon with 'brazenly challenging his commander in chief' over a possible war with Iran, which Fallon called an 'ill-advised action,' and implies Fallon would resign rather than go to war against Iran.

“Asked on Monday whether Defense Secretary Robert Gates still has full confidence in Fallon, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell would only say that Fallon 'still enjoys a working -- a good working relationship with the Secretary of Defense.'

“Although reporters did not specifically ask about a possible Fallon resignation, Morrell freely offered, 'Admiral Fallon serves at the pleasure of the president.' That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but far from a political death knell.

“Still, the gruff, outspoken CENTCOM commander has his detractors. 'How many times can [Fallon] get away with these kinds of remarks,' before he's forced out the door, asked one senior Pentagon official. The reason may be that on Iran, Gates and many senior military officials happen to agree with Fallon.

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Comments

What are you guys talking about? Obama?? The most striking revelation here is that it turns out the administration DID want war with Iran...despite their claims.

CJ (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:03 PM)

Inspirational belongs in the oval office, not the Senate, but on your other charges, C A, how about posting some verifiable facts that we can all get behind. You aren't Obama, so unless he tells you, you don't realy know what he's going to do.

Dan, Iowa (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:04 PM)

Another hero with the courage to do the only thing he can do to stand against the Bush crime family. Good for you Fallon, and thank you.

Robert "Hussein" Harris, Buckeye, AZ (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:07 PM)

If he' not with us he's against us, period.

John Doe Oyster Bay, NY (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:08 PM)

McCain is the Only Experienced Candidate (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 4:27 PM)

I'm with ya.
I still don't understand how you could be a New Yorker and want either a) another Clinton who decimated the military in 1990 thinking we were gonna have a thousand years of peace, or b) a newbie who wants to chat things up with an idiot who tries to claim that the holocost didn't exist!
The first place terrorists are going to strike is the most populated areas for maximum damage. That means New York and California. If I lived there I would want someone who was strong on defense like McCain.
See, I have a family and I don't want them to die before me. It's not fear mongering to read captured communications from al Qaeda operatives and know that THEY WANT TO KILL US AT ALL COSTS!
I'm voting for somebody who will try to stop them. Period. That person is John McCain.
McCain '08

kyd70,SC (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:10 PM)

To Pat in Huntington, far from being Bush's lackey Admiral Fallon was a big STOP sign between us and this Administration's long-held and very public desire to go after Iran. As the top US commander in the Middle East, he was handed an impossible job in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been working to persuade the neo-cons to being a draw-down in Iraq. His departure almost guarantees that Petreaus's wish to delay even discussions of such a draw-down until September at the earliest will be granted.

We need more not fewer Fallons in the US military. Just as we need fewer not more idiots running the country.

edgery (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:17 PM)

BTW, the only idiots that are talking about war with Iran are the Media! Just because a military plan is developed it doesn't mean that it going to be implemented.
No general worth his pension would even come close to backing an invasion of Iran. We are already stretched with two fronts, adding a third and fourth would be nearly impossible (thank HRC's hubby for diminished military numbers).
The only people left with a backbone in this country are already serving in the armed forces. If we had to draft a bunch of white-flag waving obamacats.... ugh, I shudder at the thought (no disrespect to the Drill Sargeants who would rip their hair out trying to instill military discipline in a bunch of draftees).
McCain '08

kyd70,SC (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:20 PM)

Hopefully this means that we are about to bomb Iran since the diplomacy hasn't kept them from interfering in Iraq and it's still Iranian bombs killing our troops.

Toby Hill (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:23 PM)

Don't forget, folks, Bush's War is costing the U.S. $12 B-I-L-L-I-O-N a month, with ever higher amounts to come. Bush whines about earmarks here in the U.S. Chump change compared to what his war has cost us and what it will continue to cost, especially if McCain is elected. As the U.S. economy sinks ever deeper into recession, as the value of the dollar drops daily, Bush and his minions continue to push for tax cuts for the wealthy with no plan whatsoever to pay for his- war-without-end. Nor does he ever mention the needed repair of our own infrastructure and our rapidly diminishing military capability- because he will be off to Texas to cut brush (although not soon enough). Adm. Fallon represents yet another distant, sane voice in an otherwise insane Administration. The Adm. obviously has integrity. G.W. Bush and his sorry VP, Cheney, have no idea what the word means. Theirs is a world of self-delusion, hypocrisy and the veil of executive priviledge. And torture.

R.Merrell (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:24 PM)

Why doesn't Hillary release her 2006 or for that matter her 2000 thru 2005 tax returns? Why is she the only one that refuses to release them to the public?

Why doesn't she release her White House papers, so we the people can see for ourselves what exactly she did in an official government capacity in regards to foreign relations experience. She gives empty speeches touting her experience, but she doesn't offer one shred of evidence to support her claims. I don't believe she has had any experience and that is why she refuses to release her White House papers.

OBAMA '08

Hank, Sanford, FL (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:30 PM)

"And maybe you didn't do the math on this one, but for every dollar we spend on researching missile and other advanced defense, the more ground troops' lives we save."
--McCain is the Only Experienced Candidate

Riddle me this batman, so why did we send any troops to Iraq instead of just missiles?

nuance (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:31 PM)

The anti-war talking points has no relevance when another country is killing our troops and our troops aren't even in that country. Iran doesn't own Iraq but yet they are killing our troops there. It won't be a ground invasion, it will be a bombing runs, rockets and missiles. We may not be able to exterminate the current Iranian regime but our Air Force and Navy can certainly send them back to the dark ages. The anti-war pooches way worked in North Korea but it didn't work with Iran so now it's time to start bombing.

Toby Hill (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:32 PM)

Mr Bush's claims of letting generals set military policy is getting a bit flimsier.

Regardless if it is good policy to let the military run a war, it abdicates the constitutional duty of the president of commander-in-chief, and undermines civilian control of the military.

Most people dare not attack Gen Petraeus even if he is put out there to do and say things that are supposed to be done or said by the civilian political leadership. This makes it much harder to oppose a war coming up, or one that is happening now.

Commander-in-chief indeed, what a farce.

Rodney, Scottburg, INDIANA (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:35 PM)

How does one go about being experienced as President of the United States other than having already served? Does one attend President school, or take President classes or perhaps being the spouse of the President would qualify one as eligible? Every single President had to learn on the job! George Washington served as the nations first President, who taught him how to be President? What experience did he have. Americans need to stop being silly about Senator Obama's qualifications...he's just as qualified as anyone else. The simple truth is; some white people just can't see a person of color as their Commander In Chief. Let's face it; as a nation, we're not at all as liberal as we claim!

Aaron, South Bend, IN (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:40 PM)

Chuck Todd has such a warm, comfy relationship with the Obama campaign. Chuck wants to be Obama's first Presidential Press Secretary.

Dirk, Brunswick, Georgia (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:43 PM)

OBAMA IS NOT ELECTABLE IN NOVEMBER
====================================
IF BILL CLINTON TALKS ABOUT "DREAM TICKET",HE'S WRONG.
======================================================
A TICKET WITH OBAMA WILL PUSH MILLIONS INDEPENDENTS AND DEMOCRATS TO REPUBLICAN PARTY.
=================================================
OBAMA WILL DIVIDE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ,AS WE KNOW IT TODAY.
===================================================
WHY ALL WHITE CANDIDATES LOST AND DROP-OUT OF THE RACE???????????
================================================
WHO'S CONTROLLING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY????????
================================================
THE ACTIVISTS??????????????
==============================================
HEY GUYS......YOU WILL NOT WIN IN NOVEMBER WITH THOSE CHOICES.
===================================================
"THERE'S A SILENT VOTE"FOR NOMEMBER........
=========================================
S T A Y T U N E.................
============================================

TEXAN (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:01 PM)

Admiral Fallon's resignation or termination eight months prior to the 2008 election, sets in motion Bush/Cheney's plans for attacking Iran.

It will start with another 9/11-like false-flag attack on the US (a la Operation Northwoods), followed by the blaming of the Iranians for the attack, and then our subsequent attack on them for allegedly doing it.

This will either allow Bush/Cheney to stay in power by declaring Martial Law (if McCain is somehow not assured of winning the election), or to get McCain elected by an American public longing for security and revenge much like in the wake of 9/11.

By attacking Iran prior to the election the Republican party will benefit as well by gaining Senate and House seats in the 2008 election instead of losing them which is expected to occur if nothing happens between now and November.

As for Admiral Fallon, you were a true patriot and thanks for your long service to our country.

Blake (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:11 PM)

Its going to be a long four-five years,rather,for this is the time period that Iran is expected to get its Bomb. My guess is that it will come sooner than this. The differance between the Dec.8 2007 New York Times and that run on Mar.03,2008,is striking. It now all but dismisses the very same NIE that it hung[Fallon as well],its neck out on when it was released,before we found out that Iran just kept right on going with its uranium enrichment program,which a seized Iranian laptop in Feb. clearly illistrated was for warheads. Not for ''peaceful civilian purpose'',now so alarming the IAEA,EU, and the UN. ''Anarchy''as regards Iran and its lackey Syria and the Mook,of course in Iraq,is already reigning. This,and a dose of nuclear blackmail in the Middle East will go far to seal our fate as a nation in due course,inviting a new paradigm of global strategies divorced from that region of the world which will yet create a whole new set of headaches for whoever is president in 09.

Lee Holmes (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:14 PM)

Toby Hill (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:32 PM)

Do you have any idea what your talking about? We are supposed to be in a war on terror and the bombing you described will generate thousands more terrorists. You can't bomb a country to the stone age and not expect retribution in the form of a motivated pissed off resistance that will last for centuries. There are a lot more points to be made here but I fear they are wasted on someone of your mentality. God help us, they let morons like you vote.

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:20 PM)

Kathryn in Bham -- The need to “protect and nurture” our interests in the Middle East goes without saying. But after seven painful years of the Bush administration, our “interests” are not being “nurtured” and are clearly in more jeopardy now than they were 7 years ago. Thousands of sacrificed lives and a trillion dollars have only inflamed the situation, spread terrorism, and created more “mess.” We are more hated in the Middle East than ever before and we have not improved our energy position. We fought the wrong war for all the wrong reasons, with disastrous consequences. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Examination of 600,000 Iraqi government documents has now shown there was no connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda. But owing to the Bush administration’s complete incompetence, Al Qaeda is now alive and well in three countries, rather than just one, and one of those countries (Pakistan) DOES have nuclear weapons. We still have tensions with Iran, and Israel is again in crisis. The Iraqis have failed to take back control of their country and are not using their oil dollars to rebuild their own infrastructure. Given all of this, how anyone can say that we need republicans (or republican-thinkers) to “protect and nurture our interests” is completely beyond me. Admiral Fallon -- for one -- obviously does not agree that we are on the right path. You should listen carefully to what he has to say.

Amy Andersen, Eden Prairie MN (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:20 PM)

The "Repugs" are the true War mongers. I spent 10 years in the US Marines (Clinton and Bush era) and I can't believe what I am reading from you Repug backers, you actually believe McCain is the only experienced candidate. What a joke! He is a puppet! Just like Bush (Chenney & Rummey pulling the war strings for Iraq) But I keep forgetting and I have to keep reminding myself that that I am dealing with "Bushites sell outs". Bush sold us out by going into Iraq. Fallon is truly the qualified experienced one since he stood up to the Military Industrial Complex and challenged it, but instead they pushed him out the door because he didn’t conform to their war mongering tactics. Sell your own country out Repugs, send military personnel to their deaths so your frat buddies can get richer and richer, Neo-Corporatism at its best baby!!! Blood in the streets means green backs on Wall Street…sell outs!

SGT USMC, Texas (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:21 PM)

He disagreed with the idiot prince? Huh. Hard to understand. He's the most brilliant man Harriet Meyers ever met, you know.

Shocked! (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:31 PM)

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
- George Orwell

Kudos to Adm. Fallon.

R.Merrell (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:32 PM)

" The anti-war pooches way worked in North Korea but it didn't work with Iran so now it's time to start bombing. "

And then we open 1,000,000 Chicken Dick Chicken Stick stands. You'll love them Toby - obviously nothing sticks in your craw.

See you at the recruiting station....not.

Lee in CA (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:35 PM)

Fallon going WITH his professional judgment and his gut, but AGAINST the President in the mainstream press, took bravery. It looks like this resignation is motivated by unreasonable pressure coming from the White House. It's overdue that we insist the House of Representatives impeach Pres. Bush. He's running our country, our gov't, and our Constitution into the ground.

Herb Agner (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:43 PM)

Good-bye America. You were really, really beautiful.

St Augustine (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:51 PM)

Time to wake up America!! Do you really believe Admiral Fallon "resigned"? He was fired! Fallon was the last voice of reason and was preventing a war with Iran! Just watch the Neocons beat their war drums again and make their case to attack Iran. It will happen before June 2008 [based on information from Scott Ritter]. I hope and pray that all the loyal Americans in the military follow your oath -- to defend our country against all enemies -- foreign and domestic!

By the way, Obama doesn't have the experience to be our next President. And forget Clinton or McCain. The only intelligent choice was Ron Paul -- but the GOP and the corporate-controlled media couldn't let this happen. Ron Paul voted against going to war in Iraq -- and is the real voice of reason in America!

CB, Denver, CO (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:16 PM)

In all the excitement about the Democratic Primary let us not forget that W still has several months left and apparently is still trying to start a war with Iran. Now a "General on the ground" has been forced to quit because he disagreed with the W-in-chief. NO MORE UNNECESSARY WAR!! SAY NO TO MCCAIN WHO JOKES ABOUT BOMBING IRAN! SAY NO TO HILLARY TO AUTHORIZED WAR IN IRAQ AND ENCOURAGED WAR IN IRAN! ENOUGH!!! Our only hope is Obama.

Grant, Centerville, Utah (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:41 PM)

Gary Schear:

Paragraph (3) "inside Iraq"
Paragraph (4) "in Iraq"

Richard, Washington State (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:50 PM)

Adm Fallon was wrong when he publicly disagreed with what he thinks is the administrations policy is regarding Iran. Gen. Douglass MacArthur was wrong when he publicly disagreed with Truman's policy in Korea. Both were sacked, publicly. We don't know if Bush is planning a war with Iran. We can only speculate. With Gen Dempsey now in command of ME forces there's a good chance that Iran could take the hint and moderate it's stance on building it's nuclear facility. Before we go half cocked let's see how Iran reacts and then judge r this chess move by Mr. Bush. If war becomes necessary declaring war is Congress prerogative. If Congress is convinced that's the way then both must share equal responsibility, as when the president and Congress went to war against Hussein.

Harvey Levy, Miami-Dade, FL (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:59 PM)

..we all knew it was coming..part 7 of the "endless war" for profit. They'll shut down oil from Iran, Iraq and Chavez too it he doesn't watch it. $10 a gallon, oil profit unimaginablel. Dick is on a 'peace mission'. Bull. Thing is, we still have some remnents of a once free press and this little thing called the Constitution. IMPEACH,TRY,CONVICT..or sit back and watch Hitler's boys send your children off to die for trillions for Rockeffelar Oil, Very Big Defense Companies and a sure bet on hatred fueled anti-American retribution for decades. And they laugh all the way to the bank...remember...Hitler would still of been hanging paper if Prescott Bush and Allen Dulles hadn't financed him and oh yeah..what did Allen do in Iran in '53?

Eric Harger, Harpers Ferry, WV (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:07 PM)

Riddle me this batman, so why did we send any troops to Iraq instead of just missiles? Nuanced
I have been reading these blogs for over an hour, and this is the FIRST one that was worth responding to.
Thank you.

Pam OC,CA (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:23 PM)

"See, I have a family and I don't want them to die before me."
--kyd70,SC

kyd, there is another solution to your problem that doesn't involve getting hundreds of thousands of innocent people killed overseas.

nuanced (Sent Tuesday, March 11, 2008 11:11 PM)

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