A retired major general who led the Army's Green Berets in the early days of the Bush Administration is stumping for Barack Obama. Geoffrey Lambert, who took over the U.S. Army Special Forces Command on Fort Bragg three days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, returned to Fayetteville on Tuesday to make the case that Obama would be a great commander in chief. He said what Obama lacks in military experience he makes up in intelligence and leadership skills. He studies the issues and surrounds himself with expertise.
"It's not who is the toughest," Lambert said, "but who is the wisest."
Lambert is among several retired generals and military commanders who have broken ranks with the Republican White House and sided with Obama or his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. In March, retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff, endorsed Clinton before Obama had sowed up the nomination.
Lambert said the U.S. was more unified, right after the 2001 terrorist attacks, before the country went to war against Iraq in 2003. "I saw that unity squandered with a hasty, ill-conceived, ill-timed, ill-planned invasion of Iraq that caused a dissolution of resources," he said.
Lambert spoke before about 75 people inside VFW Post 6018 on Chance Street near downtown Fayetteville. He spoke that morning at another veterans group in Charlotte. The 61-year-old redhead wore a black suit and a button that said "Veterans for Obama." The 34-year military veteran now lives in Tampa. In 2003, he took command of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School before retiring.
In an interview before his speech, Lambert said the Iraqi war has taken a toll on soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg. "Families are tired," he said. "Equipment is all worn out. The cost of recapitalization will be enormous."
Lambert said he never would have gone to war against Iraq -- a war he estimates will cost more than $1 trillion when factors such as wounded vets are considered.
He said he joined the Obama team this year and now is an unpaid adviser for the senator's Iraqi policy. He said he supports Obama's plan to withdrawal most of the troops there over 16 months as Iraqis assume more sovereignty. |