Diplomats & Military Commanders for Change

A bi-partisan group of former US military commanders and diplomats held a press conference and issued a very strongly worded call for the defeat of the president this fall. Known as the Diplomats & Military Commanders for Change, they represent an unprecedented coming together of a normally non-political group of career government servants.

In the free-for-all that US politics has become this might pass without notice except … except for the fact that the signers of the call for removal include people who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. They are people whose entire careers were spent being non-partisan; I therefore feel it is worth noting when they come together for one simple purpose: the removal of Bush this fall.

Career chiefs of mission and retired four-star military leaders are launching a nationwide campaign to stress the need for change in U.S. foreign and defense policy. They are deeply concerned by the damage the Bush Administration has caused to our national and international interests and U.S. worldwide status.

Their full press release is available and CNN, among others, are covering this story.

Here is a list of the signatories, who attended the press conference:

Ambassador Phyllis Oakley (spokesperson) (Former Asst. Sec of State for Intelligence and Research)

Ambassador Donald Easum (Former Asst. Sec of State for African Affairs)

Ambassador Chas Freeman (Former Amb. to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Ambassador Bill Harrop (Former Amb. To Guinea, Kenya and Seychelles, Zaire and Israel)

Ambassador Allen Holmes (Former Asst. Sec of Defense for Special Operations)

Ambassador Bob Keeley (Former Amb. to Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Greece)

Ambassador Princeton Lyman (Former Asst. Sec of State for Int. Organization Affairs)

Ambassador Don McHenry (Former Amb. and U.S. Permanent Rep. to the United Nations)

General Merrill A. “Tony” McPeak (Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force)

Ambassador Robert Oakley (Special Envoy for Somalia, former Amb. To Pakistan, Somalia and Zaire)

Ambassador Dan Phillips (Former Amb. to Burundi and the Republic of Congo)

Ambassador Mike Sterner (Former Amb. to the United Arab Emirates)

Ambassador Alexander F. Watson (Former Asst. Sec of State for Inter-American Affairs, Former Amb. to Peru)