Former Air Force chief (during Persian Gulf War) backs Dean candidacy

Retired Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak of Lake Oswego helps bolster the presidential hopeful's military credentials

11/18/03

JEFF MAPES

Retired Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, the former Air Force chief of staff who endorsed George W. Bush in 2000, has left the Republican fold and is backing Democrat Howard Dean in the 2004 race for president.

McPeak, who lives in Lake Oswego, joins a small but growing list of top military veterans who have parted ways with the president at least partly because of the war in Iraq. McPeak's decision could be an important boost for Dean because critics have accused the former Vermont governor of lacking the experience and knowledge needed to be the nation's commander-in-chief.

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McPeak, who headed the Air Force during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, criticized the Bush administration's policy toward Iraq before the invasion in March. He also said he has become disenchanted with the president's economic policies.

"I don't think the younger Bush has put a foot right since he entered the White House," said McPeak, who changed his registration from Republican to independent in April.

When it comes to Iraq, "we couldn't have sat around a kitchen table and designed a policy that was stupider," McPeak said. He argued that there was no evidence of a connection between Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, "absolutely zero evidence of weapons of mass destruction, and the planning of the formation of the coalition (to support the war in Iraq) was very clumsily done."

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http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1069160753167110.xml

Great news, except for the venomous snakes that will now say this is proof Dean is a closet Republican.

Now it ought to shut up those who constantly complain about Dean having no creds in foreign policy....

does not turn Dean into a candidate who is qualified to handle our foreign affairs.

Dean's been to 52 nations, which is more than I can say for Bush, and Dean also has the executive experience to deal with foreign affairs. Diplomacy requires a gentle hand and I believe Dean has that kind of deftness. Also, the military endorsements help give Dean the ability to say, "I'm not going to be given filtered information, or have my head stuck in sand listening to unilaterists." He can point out that the formerly Republican general who endorsed him did so because the general was so disgusted with Bush's unilaterist foreign policy---it all ties into Dean's stance against Bush's foreign policy.

The man calls people cockroaches and boneheads. He's arrogant, belittles people and acts like a bully (these are the characteristics of the Bush admin and we see how well that has played in the world community). In addition, how are world leaders going to trust the word of Howard Dean? The man has been less than honest during this primary process.

In regards to acting unilaterally, in February 2002 Dean supported the US acting unilaterally. What's changed his mind?

There is military people that have and continue to support Bush. That does not make him qualified to handle our foreign affairs and it doesn't make Dean.

If he wasn't good at diplomacy, then he wouldn't have been elected five times as Governor, and more recently he wouldn't have brought the AFSCME and the SEIU for an unprecedented double endorsement if he wasn't good at it.

You would think that would be his obvious choice,

This is a little like Jesse Jackson Jr's endorsement of Dean that fired up Sharpton so much.

endorsement because General Clark obviously can stand on his own where his record comes from in the military.