Answering another round of cries for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the White House again expressed confidence that the controversial official was "doing a very fine job."
The latest criticism has come from five outspoken retired generals, most of whom have served in Iraq, where the numbers of civilian and military casualties continues to grow amid rising US public dissatisfaction with the war.
Retired Army Major General Charles Swannack, who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, told CNN on Thursday that the defense secretary was "micromanaging our forces there," and that officers are only advanced at the favor of Rumsfeld. He called for his resignation.
Earlier this week, retired Major General John Batiste, who led the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq, was joined by three other high-ranking retired officers who called in interviews or published essays for Rumsfeld to be replaced.
"When decisions are made without taking into account sound military recommendations, sound military decision making, sound planning, then we're bound to make mistakes," Batiste told CNN.
The unusual spectre of five retired generals calling for Rumsfeld to step down "speaks volumes ... about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense," Batiste said.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace, earlier this week rebuffed the calls, saying top ranking officers had "every opportunity" to speak their minds as plans were being drawn up for the Iraq invasion.
On Thursday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan responded to a rising chorus of questions from reporters about the attacks on Rumsfeld.
"The president believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period in our nation's history," McClellan said. "We are a nation at war, and we are a nation that is going through a military transformation. Those are issues that tend to generate debate and disagreement, and we recognize that."
In February 2003, as the US military was transporting tens of thousands of troops into the Gulf region to prepare the invasion of Iraq, another high-ranking officer, General Eric Shinseki, chief of staff of the US Army from 1999-2003, opposed Rumsfeld's plans to carry out the war with only 100,000 soldiers.
Shinseki told Congress that several hundred thousand troops would be needed -- a proposal that clashed with Rumsfeld's vision of a smaller, leaner military. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz publicly dismissed Shinseki's estimates as "wildly off the mark."
The general retired, and Bush critics have long alleged that Shinseki was forced out, despite administration denials.
More than 2,300 US troops and 30,000 Iraqi civilians have died in Iraq, according to official US reports and comments.
Last month, US President George W Bush himself stepped forward to defend Rumsfeld, dismissing suggestions that the secretary should resign over charges of mismanagement.
"I don't believe he should resign," Bush said.
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