He served valiantly in Vietnam, but adamantly, loudly, and persistently opposed the war in Iraq. David Donadio’s eulogy of his family’s friend is a tribute worth reading. Odom was truly one of a kind. He told the truth in whatever circumstances and whatever the consequences. His knowledge of political as well as military history was second to none. And his knowledge was not only from good teachers and books, he knew war personally, in all its horror, from his experience in Vietnam. In this great General’s mind, the U.S. never should have invaded Iraq. No one could gainsay his arguments proving the error of our president’s action, and the continuing fallacy of a failed enterprise that targeted a bogus enemy. He courageously titled one of his best articles: “Victory Is Not An Option.” “The president” he said, “has let (the Iraq war) proceed on automatic pilot, making no corrections in the face of accumulating evidence that his strategy is failing and cannot be rescued. He lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies.” It hardly made the news when this distinguished retired officer and expert analyst, who headed our nation’s National Security Agency under Reagan, passed away on May 30th, 2008, in his summer home in Vermont. Only a few months before his death he gave a blistering critique before the U.S. Senate calling for an immediate pullout of our troops lest any more die for nothing in a region that loathes the hypocrisy of our democratic hubris as it easily perceives the real intentions of the self-righteous agenda of the American imperium. More related articles can be found here. And here.
