Pentagon reporter Thom Shanker furthers the liberal legend of General Eric Shinseki's departure from the Army, where he served as chief of staff until 2003. Shanker's "New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki [1]" claims:
"But the president's new strategy, with its explicit acknowledgment that not enough troops had been sent to Iraq to establish control, was a vindication for General Shinseki, who as Army chief of staff publicly told Congress as much just before the war began in 2003.
"First vilified, then marginalized by the Bush administration after those comments, General Shinseki retired and faded away, even as lawmakers, pundits and politicians increasingly cited his prescience."
Shanker's blurry prose makes it sound as if General Shinseki was forced into retirement by vengeful Bushies, when in fact the general announced his retirement in 2002 and did not make the remarks about troop levels until 2003.