Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change (DMCC) was an ''ad hoc'' organization of 27 retired and United States military officers and

Foreign Service Officers A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U. ...

who supported

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

John Kerry of Massachusetts against incumbent Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

in the 2004 presidential election. The group was formed in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2004, at the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

. The group published an open letter that stated that President

had "failed in the primary responsibilities of preserving

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

and providing world leadership" and had harmed foreign relations so badly that only a new leader can repair them. This statement is especially noteworthy because several of the signatories had supported George W. Bush when he ran for president in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, and a large number were appointed to positions by Republican presidents, including Bush's father, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

Members

Avis T. Bohlen Avis Thayer Bohlen (born April 20, 1940, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)

, former Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Ambassador to Bulgaria *

William J. Crowe William James Crowe Jr. (January 2, 1925 – October 18, 2007) was a United States Navy admiral and diplomat who served as the 11th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassad ...

, Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Bill Clinton and

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...

under President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Jeffrey Davidow Jeffrey S. Davidow (born January 26, 1944) is a career foreign service officer from the U.S. state of Virginia. Davidow has served as a member of the Senior Foreign Service, as well as having been the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Venezuela, and Me ...

, former Ambassador to Zambia, Venezuela, and Mexico. *

William DePree William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, former Ambassador to Bangladesh and Mozambique *

Donald B. Easum Donald Boyd Easum (August 27, 1923 – April 16, 2016) was an American diplomat. Foreign service Easum spent 27 years in the United States Foreign Service at posts in Nicaragua, Indonesia, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Upper Vol ...

, former Ambassador to Nigeria and

Upper Volta Upper Volta (now named Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to ...

* Charles W. Freeman, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia * William Harrop, former Ambassador to Israel * Arthur A. Hartman, Ambassador to France and to the Soviet Union *

Joseph Hoar Joseph Paul Hoar (December 30, 1934 – September 17, 2022) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general. He served as Commander in Chief of United States Central Command from 1991 to 1994, retiring from the Marine Corps on September 1, 199 ...

, former commander of United States Central Command *

H. Allen Holmes Henry Allen Holmes (born January 31, 1933) was the United States Ambassador to Portugal from 1982 to 1985 and a career diplomat. Biography Born in Bucharest, Romania to American parents, Holmes received his high school education at St. Paul's S ...

, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and former Ambassador to Portugal *

Robert V. Keeley Robert Vossler Keeley (September 4, 1929 – January 9, 2015) had a 34-year career in the Foreign Service of the United States, from 1956 to 1989. He served three times as Ambassador: to Greece (1985–89), Zimbabwe (1980–84), and Mauritius ( ...

, former Ambassador to Greece, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius * Samuel Lewis, former Ambassador to Israel *

Princeton N. Lyman Princeton Nathan Lyman (November 20, 1935 – August 24, 2018) was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Nigeria (1986–89) and South Africa (1992–95), and former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (1 ...

, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, and Ambassador to South Africa and Nigeria *

Donald McHenry Donald Franchot McHenry (born October 13, 1936) is a former American diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from September 1979 until January 20, 1981. Biography McHenry was born in St. L ...

, former Ambassador to the United Nations * Merrill McPeak, former

Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...

Jack F. Matlock, Jr. Jack Foust Matlock Jr. (born October 1, 1929) is an American former ambassador, career Foreign Service Officer, a teacher, a historian, and a linguist. He was a specialist in Soviet affairs during some of the most tumultuous years of the Cold ...

, a member of the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

staff under

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and

Ambassador to the Soviet Union The ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation is the ambassador, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the Russian Federation. Since September 4, 2022, Elizabeth Rood is ser ...

from 1987 to 1991 * George Moose, former Ambassador to Senegal and Benin *

David D. Newsom David Dunlop Newsom (January 6, 1918 – March 30, 2008) was an American diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Libya from 1965 to 1969, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1969 to 1974, the Uni ...

, former Ambassador to the Philippines and Indonesia * Phyllis Oakley, former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research *

Robert B. Oakley Robert Bigger Oakley (March 12, 1931 – December 10, 2014) was an American diplomat whose 34-year career (1957–1991) as a Foreign Service Officer included appointments as United States Ambassador to Zaire, Somalia, and Pakistan and, in the earl ...

, former Ambassador to Pakistan, Somalia and Zaire * James D. Phillips, former Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo and

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

* John Reinhardt, former Director of the United States Information Agency and Ambassador to Nigeria *

William Y. Smith William Young Smith (August 13, 1925 – January 19, 2016) was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (COFS SHAPE) from 1979 to 1981 and as Deputy Commander in Chief, ...

, former Chief of Staff for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe *

Ronald I. Spiers Ronald Ian "Ron" Spiers (July 9, 1925 – June 24, 2021) was an American diplomat who served as an Ambassador to several countries during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life and military career Spiers was born in Orange, New Jersey in July 1925 but ...

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under-s ...

for Political Affairs and former Ambassador to the Bahamas, Turkey, and Pakistan * Michael Sterner, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates *

Stansfield Turner Stansfield Turner (December 1, 1923 January 18, 2018) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as President of the Naval War College (1972–1974), commander of the United States Second Fleet (1974–1975), Supreme Allied Commander N ...

, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency * Alexander Watson, former Ambassador to Brazil and Peru A 27th member, Robert B. Oakley, was announced June 15, 2004.

External links

Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change Official Statement
- June 16, 2004
Webcast of the press conference
- June 16, 2004 at the National Press Club. Foreign policy political advocacy groups in the United States Anti–Iraq War groups