Retired generals and admirals: 12 for Kerry, 121 for Bush

Remember back in the first presidential debate when Kerry rattled off a list of retired generals and admirals who supported him? Here's the list he cited:

• Gen. John Shalikashvili
• Gen. John Eisenhower [Not sure he's a general. -ed.]
• Gen. Tony McBeak [I think he meant "McPeak." Bush's oratory may be contagious. -ed.]
• Gen. Adm. William Crown [Gen. Adm. Crown? Could be very contagious. -ed.]

At the second presidential debate Kerry again rattled off a list, slightly edited from the first time round:

• Gen. John Shalikashvili
• Adm. William Crowe
• Gen. Tony McPeak
• Gen. Wes Clark
• Gen. Edward Baca

Then there is the headline on Kerry's web site trumpeting, "12 Generals and Admirals Endorse John Kerry." Those officers include:

• Lt. Gen. Edward D. Baca
• Lt. Gen. Daniel W. Christman
• Gen. Wesley K. Clark
• Adm. William J. Crowe
• Vice Adm. Lee F. Gunn
• Gen. Joseph Hoar
• Lt. Gen. Claudia J. Kennedy
• Lt. Gen. Donald Kerrick
• Gen. Merrill “Tony” A. McPeak
• Gen. John M. Shalikashvili
• Adm. Stansfield Turner
• Gen. Johnnie E. Wilson

An impressive list indeed.

But to add a little perspective, let's take a look at the retired generals and admirals supporting Bush:

• Rear Adm. John Adams
• Rear Adm. Donald S. Albright, Jr.
• Lt. Gen. Teddy Allen
• Brig. Gen. Dwayne Alons
• Lt. Gen. Charles Bagnal
• Brig. Gen. John Bahnsen
• Rear Adm. Stephen Baker
• Maj. Gen. John Barry
• Rear Adm. Timothy Beard
• Rear Adm. Frances Buckley
• Brig. Gen. Richard Bundy
• Brig. Gen. Carl Butterworth

12 for Bush, 12 for Kerry. All tied. Until, that is, you count the next 109 in the Bush camp:

• Rear Adm. Joseph Callo, Jr.
• Vice Adm. Kent Carroll
• Brig. Gen. Robert Chadwick
• Vice Adm. Edward Clexton, Jr.
• Lt. Gen. John Conaway
• Maj. Gen. Boyd Cook
• Lt. Gen. Charles Cooper
• Rear Adm. Frank Corley
• Rear Adm. Michael Coyle
• Maj. Gen. John D'Araujo, Jr.
• Gen. John Davis
• Vice Adm. George Davis VI
• Gen. John Deane, Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Gene Deegan
• Rear Adm. Jeremiah Denton, Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Neil Eddins
• Rear Adm. Ernest Elliot
• Rear Adm. Paul Engel
• Maj. Gen. Merrill Evans
• Rear Adm. Edward Feightner
• Rear Adm. Kenneth Fisher
• Maj. Gen. John France
• Maj. Gen. Joseph Franklin
• Rear Adm. J. Cameron Fraser, Jr.
• Rear Adm. Alan Gemmill
• Lt Gen William Ginn, Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Harold Glasgow
• Maj. Gen. Richard Goddard
• Rear Adm. Fred Golove
• Rear Adm. William Gureck
• Rear Adm. Wallace Guthrie
• Rear Adm. Frank Haak
• Lt. Gen. Robert Hails
• Maj. Gen. Jack Hancock
• Vice Adm. Patrick Hannifin
• Rear Adm. Whitney Hansen
• Vice Adm. Peter Hekman, Jr.
• Rear Adm. Grant Hollett, Jr.
• Rear Adm. Bobby Hollingsworth
• Lt. Gen. John Hudson
• Brig. Gen. Oscar Hurt
• Lt. Gen. James Johnson, Jr.
• Gen. P.X. Kelley
• Adm. Robert Kelly
• Adm. George Kinnear
• Rear Adm. J. Koenig
• Brig. Gen. Peter Lash
• Rear Adm. Paul Lautermilch
• Maj. Gen. James Livingston
• Rear Adm. Walter Locke
• Rear Adm. Noah Long Jr.
• Rear Adm. Joseph Loughran
• Rear Adm. Thomas Lynch
• Maj. Gen. William Lyon
• Adm. James Lyons
• Maj. Gen. Clark Martin
• Rear Adm. Fredrick Metz
• Brig. Gen. Thomas Mikolajcik
• Rear Adm. John Moriarty
• Rear Adm. Thomas Morris
• Maj. Gen. James Mukoyama
• Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter
• Brig. Gen. Michael Neil
• Maj. Gen. Stanley Newman
• Vice Adm. John Nicholson
• Lt. Gen. John Norton
• Brig. Gen. Thomas O'Brien Jr.
• Rear Adm. Robert Owens
• Lt. Gen. Dave Palmer
• Vice Adm. John Parker, Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Jeremiah Pearson III
• Vice Adm. Douglas Plate
• Rear Adm. Don Primeau
• Brig. Gen. John Quinn
• Rear Adm. Conrad Rorie
• Lt. Gen. Donald Rosenblum
• Vice Adm. Robert Schoultz
• Rear Adm. Luther Schriefer Jr.
• Brig. Gen. Dennis Schulstad
• Rear Adm. Jud Scott
• Rear Adm. Kenneth Sears
• Rear Adm. Joel Sipes
• Rear Adm. Robert Smith III
• Adm. Leighton Smith Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Frank Smoker Jr.
• Brig. Gen. William Spruance
• Gen. Carl Stiner
• Vice Adm. Edward Straw
• Lt. Gen. Gordon Sumner, Jr.
• Maj. Gen. Larry Taylor
• Lt. Gen. David Teal
• Rear Adm. William Thompson
• Vice Adm. Howard Thorsen
• Vice Adm. Nils Thunman
• Brig. Gen. William Tiernan
• Rear Adm. Ernest Tissot
• Rear Adm. Paul Tomb
• Brig. Gen. Guy Townsend
• Vice Adm. Jerry Tuttle
• Maj. Gen. Glen Van Dyke
• Brig. Gen. Guy VanderLinden
• Rear Adm. Lloyd Vasey
• Maj. Gen. Russell Violett
• Rear Adm. Edward Walker, Jr.
• Rear Adm. Lemuel Warfield
• Maj. Gen. Gary Wattnem
• Rear Adm. Harvey Weatherson
• Maj. Gen. William Webb
• Adm. Steven White

Tally: Kerry 12, Bush 121.

For more information, read the Open Letter Signed By 121 Retired Flag Officers On John Kerry's Political Expediency Regarding The War On Terror. [Update: The link to the letter goes to the now-defunct George W. Bush campaign web site. You can find a copy of the letter as the last item here.]

(Hat tip: Betsy.)