The last three years have seen the worst series of strategic mistakes since the disastrous decisions made in Vietnam by Secretary of Defense Robert Strange McNamara. Eight retired military generals have now called for a change in the top leadership in the Pentagon, but change in leadership won't be enough. We have long needed a change in policies and strategic direction.

I do not believe that President G. W. Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction; everyone thought he had them, and Saddam Hussein needed to be removed. But President Bush certainly had bad advice on the invasion “force ratios” and there most certainly was no Plan B for the post occupation, pacification and reconstruction of Iraq. Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a mistake when said he did not know what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was talking about when she that the United States had made "tactical errors" in handling the war in Iraq. If the Pentagon will not admit mistakes how can errors be corrected?

Lt. Gen. Greg Newbold, USMC (Ret) is a friend of mine. I was in the Pentagon the day he resigned. I later met with him to ask what had happened. All he would say at the time was that he did not support the invasion even though he thought that Hussein had WMD.

The problems that still exist today stem from five failures:

•  Failure to adequately provide enough Coalition troops on the ground to assure security and stability at the end of organized hostilities.

•  Failure to keep a major portion of the Iraqi army and police forces intact.

•  Failure to keep employed enough of the Iraqi government bureaucracy to insure some form of government services.

•  Failure to work with the established Muslim religious and tribal leaders that were in place

•  Failure to plan and control the waterways.

•  Failure to adequately plan for long-range internal security, stability and reconstruction, after major combat operations.

Even though L. Paul Bremer made major mistakes during his watch, the Pentagon and the State Department seemed to have no idea how correct his mistakes.

The debate over Secretary Rumsfeld's personality or his human relations skills is a distraction from the real issue – the strategic guidance to the generals. There may never be enough troops for occupation, law and order, reconstruction and pacification of an insurgency. There certainly is not enough focus on Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or whatever they call them today. (They were Rural Pacification Teams in Vietnam.)

I agree with Greg Newbold's statement in Time: “Before the antiwar banners start to unfurl, however, let me make clear – I am not opposed to war… And while I don't accept the stated rationale for invading Iraq, my view – at the moment – is that a precipitous withdrawal would be a mistake. It would send a signal, heard around the world, that would reinforce the Jihadists' message that America can be defeated, and thus increase the chances of future conflicts.”

We need to train the Iraqis to take over the security mission, rebuild the economic infrastructure we destroyed, help foster a viable elected government, and get out.