The commentators range from former regional commanders who in recent months had doubts about a war in Iraq, to a string of officials ready to clash with the tough-talking defense chief.

The controversy they have stirred up, despite the Pentagon's obvious successes, is all but overwhelmed by the US television networks' glowingly patriotic pro-Bush administration coverage, in particular by Fox News.

In Washington, political analysis for the news usually has flowed from former defense or policy officials, and researchers with universities and think tanks.

But turning to retired generals and colonels hired by major networks is a new phenomenon.

"It started during the Gulf war... having so many experts is partly the result of cable TVs that have to fill the air 24 hours a day," said professor Marvin Kalb at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

These new commentators are paid millions of dollars, notes Laird Anderson, a communications professor at American University and himself a retired colonel.

Anderson finds criticism of General Tommy Franks as overly cautious in early deployments justified.

"I agree with these gentlemen, they have every right to say what they see," Anderson said. "This war fighting has been too cautious, I am an advocate of strong forces."

CNN has brought into its ranks General Wesley Clark, former commander of US forces in Europe and in the Kosovo war in 1999. Clark said the Pentagon did not mobilize enough ground troops given the scope of the job.

Elsewhere on the airwaves, MSNBC has called on a string of former brass as commentators -- including Norman Schwarzkopf, former commander in the first Gulf war, who said he was surprised at the limited nature of the first wave of precision strikes on the first day of the conflict.

In January, Schwarzkopf was in favor of a bigger UN role, not a new war in Iraq.

Marine General Anthony Zinni -- Franks' predecessor at the US Central Command, in charge of US operations in that region -- said such a conflict could be potentially destabilizing for the Middle East.

Another four-star MSNBC celebrity, retired army general Barry McCaffrey -- also the drug czar under former president Bill Clinton -- took some swipes at what he saw as Rumsfeld's failings last week.

Backed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, Rumsfeld tried to brush off the attacks, arguing they were from people unfamiliar with Franks' "excellent" war plan.

McCaffrey snapped back on MSNBC. "In Vietnam, defense secretary McNamara was impervious to criticism to a lot of folks. Secretary Rumsfeld, this war is too important to be left to the secretary alone," he said.

"Unlike the civilian leadership, I have a son and a daughter in uniform and I have a right to speak and intend to exercise it," he added. "There have been magnificent initial successes, there were also errors and assumptions."

Professor Kalb acknowledged that the military commentators "bring expertise," but that "does not mean they bring insight."

"The minute somebody leaves his classified job, he does not know some of the recent classified information," Kalb said.

Like other analysts, Kalb believes some military brass in the media and outside them, would like to get back at Rumsfeld for his efforts to transform the Pentagon.

Rumsfeld favors light forces with high-tech equipment and plenty of air support over the more traditional heavy units.

"There is a pay back," Kalb said. "When a new secretary of defense comes into office and wants to shake up (the Department of Defense), there are going to be people whose noses get out of joint," he said.

SPACE.WIRE