Bush Purges Top General for Failure in Iraq

If the surge were working why force the top general before he could be reconfirmed:

The top U.S. military officer, Gen. Peter Pace, will retire because any attempt to renominate him would have been a "divisive ordeal" focused on Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

Gates picked Adm. Mike Mullen, the head of the U.S. Navy, to replace Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after the Marine general's two-year term ends in September.

That is the reward Pace gets for being a administration lackey. Bush's habit of firing generals because they don't yield results is reminiscent of Hitler and Stalin:

Pace is generally not a combative and outspoken figure like Rumsfeld. He showed a mild-mannered, friendly demeanor and deferred to his political bosses in public settings.

But politicians and retired generals have accused Pace and other top officers of failing to have a proper post-invasion plan for Iraq and using too few troops -- or failing to stand up to the administration on those issues.