Ricardo Sanchez: 'Wiser' in Hindsight on Iraq, Politics
Before retiring in 2006, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez was the commander of ground troops in Iraq, a position that was relinquished to Gen. George Casey in 2004. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded ground troops in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, has since been speaking out about the conduct of the Iraq war — especially about what he calls the Bush administration's "catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan."
His views take book form in Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story, which also details his rise from an impoverished Texas childhood to become the Army's highest-ranking Hispanic officer.
When Sanchez relinquished command of group troops in Iraq to Gen. George Casey in 2004, investigations into torture at Abu Ghraib prison were being conducted. That scandal, and the capture of Saddam Hussein, played out on Sanchez's watch.
Though the Army ultimately cleared Sanchez of responsibility, a separate Army investigation concluded that he approved interrogation practices that led to some of the abuses. Sanchez says the criticisms levied against him were the result of political partisanship.
Related NPR Stories
