The Truth About Our Military Leadership

Congressional hearings today are shining the bright light on two of the military's biggest whoppers of recent years --- the lies about Pat Tillman's death and the lies about the capture of Jessica Lynch. I akm in awe of Kevin Tillman's courage in calling out the "deliberate and calculated lies" told about Pat and of Jessica Lynch's selflessness and truthfullnesss when they easier - and probably more profitable - route would have been to remain silent.

But let's not forget that the lies coming from our military leadership don't end with these two stories. Indeed, we have been spoon-fed false information from the military on numerous other occasions:

- the cover-up on the civilian deaths in Haditha;

- the bombing of Al Zawahiri in Pakistan that actually resulted in dead women and children and not Zawahiri;

- the false numbers of Iraqis killed during the revenge slaughter following the bombing of the Golden Mosque;

- the wedding bombing;

- the gamed PR of the tearing down of the Saddam statue;

- the bombing death of Chemical Ali.

And those are the ones I can recall just off the top of my head.

The truth is that our military leadership has also been grotesquely politicized. Too many are interested - and being rewarded - for placing Republican spin above sober and honest assessments.

A change needs to be made in our military leadership. We need military leaders who understand that in a transparent democracy truth trumps spin. We need military leaders who place integrity above loyalty to their political benefactors. We need the likes of Kevin Tillman and Jessica Lynch to be pushed up the ladder for their committment to truth rather than promoting the best ass kissers and spinners.

In short, there needs to be accountability that restores the faith of the American people and the people of the World in the statements from our military.