Another Military Critic of Bush

'Unit's' military expert has fighting words for Bush
By David Kronke, TV Critic

Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the
U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the
military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He
culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force"
(Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories,
though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to
estimate the number of times he was almost killed.
(Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost
claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the
hostages in Iran.) Today, he's doing nothing nearly as
dangerous: He serves as an executive producer and
technical adviser for "The Unit," CBS' new hit drama
based on his book, developed by playwright David
Mamet. Even up against "American Idol," "The Unit"
shows muscle, drawing 18 million viewers in its first
two airings.
Since he has devoted his life to protecting his
country in some of the world's most dangerous hot
spots, you might assume Haney is sympathetic to the
Bush administration's current plight in Iraq (the
laudatory cover blurb on his book comes from none
other than Fox's News' Bill O'Reilly). But he's also
someone with close ties to the Pentagon, so he's privy
to information denied the rest of us.

We recently spoke to Haney, an amiable, soft-spoken
Southern gentleman, on the set of "The Unit."

Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very
first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this
administration for taking this nation to war were not
what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was
brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew
strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why
he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could
tell him what was going to happen afterward.

We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably
fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between
the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well
have started the third world war, all for their own
personal policies.

Q: What is the cost to our country?

A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly
zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. ...
And I say "we," because the American public went along
with this. They voted for a second Bush administration
out of fear, so fear is what they're going to have
from now on.

Our military is completely consumed, so were there a
real threat - thankfully, there is no real threat to
the U.S. in the world, but were there one, we couldn't
confront it. Right now, that may not be a bad thing,
because that keeps Bush from trying something with
Iran or with Venezuela.

The harm that has been done is irreparable. There are
more than 2,000 American kids that have been killed.
Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed
ñ which no one in the U.S. really cares about those
people, do they? I never hear anybody lament that
fact. It has been a horror, and this administration
has worked overtime to divert the American public's
attention from it. Their lies are coming home to roost
now, and it's gonna fall apart. But somebody's gonna
have to clear up the aftermath and the harm that it's
done just to what America stands for. It may be two or
three generations in repairing.

Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney ...

A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only
reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it.
It's about vengeance, it's about revenge, or it's
about cover-up. You don't gain intelligence that way.
Everyone in the world knows that. It's worse than
small-minded, and look what it does.

I've argued this on Bill O'Reilly and other Fox News
shows. I ask, who would you want to pay to be a
torturer? Do you want someone that the American public
pays to torture? He's an employee of yours. It's worse
than ridiculous. It's criminal; it's utterly criminal.
This administration has been masters of diverting
attention away from real issues and debating the
silly. Debating what constitutes torture: Mistreatment
of helpless people in your power is torture, period.
And (I'm saying this as) a man who has been involved
in the most pointed of our activities. I know it, and
all of my mates know it. You don't do it. It's an act
of cowardice. I hear apologists for torture say,
"Well, they do it to us." Which is a ludicrous
argument. ... The Saddam Husseins of the world are not
our teachers. Christ almighty, we wrote a Constitution
saying what's legal and what we believed in. Now we're
going to throw it away.

Q: As someone who repeatedly put your life on the
line, did some of the most hair-raising things to
protect your country, and to see your country behave
this way, that must be ...

A: It's pretty galling. But ultimately I believe in
the good and the decency of the American people, and
they're starting to see what's happening and the lies
that have been told. We're seeing this current house
of cards start to flutter away. The American people
come around. They always do.

THE UNIT

What: Action-adventure about special-ops unit.
Where: CBS (Channel 2).
When: 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

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David Kronke (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com

http://www.dailynews.com/ontv/ci_3641046