Pace Out at Joint Chiefs of Staff Because of Opposition to War With Iran?

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You may have noted late last week that Gen. Pete Pace got bumped as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the choice to name Michael G. Mullen, chief of naval operations, to the post was a product of how difficult and “divisive” Pace’s reconfirmation would have been — after all, Pace was intimately involved in overseeing the war in Iraq for a number of years and the Democrats in Congress would have had the knives out. Or so the argument goes.

Will Bunch over at Attytood doesn’t buy it. He thinks Pace’s consistent opposition to military action against Iran was the main problem, and that Cheney and his crew were the leading forces in Pace’s ouster. Check out Bunch’s thoughts here. Check out Mother Jones‘ coverage of the possibility of war with Iran here, here, and here.

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With just hours left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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