Rumsfeld: Sour Grapes?

From The Washington Times,

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that retired generals' calls for his resignation are rooted in opposition to his push to streamline and restructure the Army. ... a number of retired officers say privately that Mr. Rumsfeld is correct and that the resignation calls are rooted in how he has treated the Army during sweeping transformation.

... Mr. Rumsfeld delivered a history lesson on what a Bush-ordered transformation has done for the Army and how some generals, retired and active, do not like it.

He cited his decision to terminate the Crusader self-propelled artillery piece and the Comanche attack-scout helicopter, while taking the Army away from a division-centric force and toward smaller brigade combat teams that can deploy faster.

...It's perfectly possible to come into this department and preside and not make choices, in which case people are not unhappy, until about five years later, when they find you haven't done anything and the country isn't prepared."

...in 2003 [Rumsfeld] skipped over a number of active-duty generals and plucked from retirement Gen. Peter Schoomaker, a career special operations soldier, to be Army chief of staff. ... Gen. Schoomaker would carry out transformation the way the defense secretary wanted, as opposed to the former chief, Gen. Shinseki, who opposed much of the agenda.

"The idea of bringing a retired person out of retirement to serve as chief of staff of the Army was stunning and a lot of people didn't like it," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "The fact that he was a Special Forces officer, a joint officer, added to the attitudes."

Sour grapes is always a cheap shot.

But that doesn't mean it isn't accurate.