Adm. Fallon 'may lose job over Iran war'

[zengrifter]

Fallon 'may lose job over Iran war'
Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:54:40


Admiral William Fallon

Adm. William Fallon, the head of the US Central Command,
may lose his job for opposing President Bush's plans to wage war against Iran.

According to a new Esquire article by Thomas Barnett; Admiral Fallon may be prematurely
'relieved of his command' as soon as this summer to be replaced with a more 'pliable' commander.

"If that were to happen, it may well mean that the president and vice-president
intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don't want
a commander standing in their way," says the article which will be published on March 12.

Admiral Fallon, who has been named as 'one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today'
by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, opposed the troops surge in Iraq and has
consistently battled with President George W. Bush to avert confrontation with Iran.

The Navy admiral has vowed that an attack on Iran would 'not happen on his watch',
calling the White House warmongering echelons 'not helpful'.

Washington and its allies are at loggerheads with the Islamic Republic over the country's
nuclear standoff with the West.

The Bush administration accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weaponry, while Tehran maintains
its uranium enrichment will only provide fuel for the country's under-construction nuclear power plants.

President Bush insists the military option against Iran remains on the table, while his top military experts,
including Admiral Fallon, urge the White House to choose a diplomatic approach towards Tehran.

In a Thursday White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino was asked about
the Esquire piece and refused to confirm whether Fallon's position is secure until the end of his tenure.

MD/RE

[zengrifter]

The Iranian Press called it days before CNN -

Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq (3/11/08-CNN) -- Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.



Adm. William Fallon had been serving as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia since 2007.

Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In a written statement, he said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" have become a distraction.

MORE- http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/...gns/index.html

[zengrifter]

Beware an Attack on Iran

by Prof. Marjorie Cohn
Global Research, March 17, 2008

Is the Bush administration ramping up for an attack on Iran? The signs seem to point in that direction. On March 11, Navy Adm. William Fallon, commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East, retired early because of differences with Washington on Iran policy. And now, Dick Cheney's current Middle East tour may be designed to prepare our Arab allies for an imminent "preemptive" war against Iran.

Bush and Cheney have long been rattling the sabers in Iran's direction. The disaster they created in Iraq isn't going well, no matter how they spin it. They may feel that engaging the United States militarily in Iran would make it harder to elect anyone other than the seasoned military man, John McCain. The Republican presidential candidate just happens to be touring Iraq with Sen. Joe Lieberman, one of the strongest advocates of a U.S. military strike on Iran. Lieberman is likely on McCain's short list for a vice-presidential running mate.

MORE- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...articleId=8371

[aslan]

He serves at the President's pleasure.

[zengrifter]

[aslan]

You do come up with some pictures!

[zengrifter]

We try. zg