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Is InstaPundit this big a rube?

PEJMAN YOUSEFZADEH: You would think the myth that General Shinseki was fired because of his comments on troop deployment in Iraq wouldn't get any traction anymore.

Yeah, it's a big myth. Shinseki just voluntarily stepped away and wandered off into the wilderness.

Do the both of these gentlemen really believe that the Bush administration didn't grease the skids for Gen. Shinseki? The evidence seems fairly clear that movement was afoot to get him the hell out. Just take a look at this post by a former Colonel, and a person who despises Shinseki, who remarks just how unusual a 14-month-in-advance replacement announcment is.

So was Shinseki fired? No. And, yes, he served out his term. Let's be accuate about that. But what's the real point here? Bush and Rumsfeld tried desparately to force him out, neuter him, make him irrelevant, and embarrass him for speaking candidly about the (completely accurate) need for more troops -- both privately and before Congress.

So, in the end, he was punished and marginalized for speaking the truth. For some people in this crazy country, I guess, that's a good thing.