Donald Rumsfeld said today
By on Sep 28th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Donald Rumsfeld said today
“there was no way to measure if more Islamic extremists were being created than killed in American-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Reuters reports. “Asked about a U.S. intelligence report that concluded the Iraq war had spread Islamic radicalism, Rumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’“
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Reallllly…intelligence can be wrong sometimes….fascinating. Why does this man have a job?
September 28th, 2006 at 5:54 pmAh, NOW he tells us.
What an idiot.
Just resign Rumsfeld.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:56 pmOf course, intelligence can only be “flat wrong” when it reflects our reality instead of Rummyworld reality.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:57 pm“We don’t do body counts”-An American general in Bagdad’s green zone. (snort).
September 28th, 2006 at 5:59 pmSee a tongue-in-cheek visual of the premiere of “Police Academy – Baghdad†starring George, Dick, & Donald…here:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
September 28th, 2006 at 6:01 pmAn egregious example of cognitive dissonance. If someone were to point out the obvious, that soldiers have a hard time wearing full body armor and equipment, he would probably reply that conditions are not totally bad since the temperature does go down a few degrees at night.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:03 pmOK. Then how will we ever know if we’ve “won”?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:05 pmI guess when there is no intelligence information left to cherry pick, then all Rummy can do is cast doubt on the good intelligence we have.
It is astonishing how he trumped up the weak WMD intelligence before the war and now dismisses this credible intelligence out of hand. I hope that history accurately portrays the total ineptitude of this man.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:09 pmScenes from Laura’s Book Festival
Elmo Will Not Save You
By RUSSELL MOKHIBER
and ROBERT WEISSMAN
Just returned from a run around the National Mall.
Party tents are going up.
Getting ready for the National Book Festival on Saturday.
Hosted by the Library of Congress.
Sponsored by Target and AT&T.
And starring Laura Bush.
You will be seeing a lot of Laura Bush in the next couple of days.
Talking with authors.
Reading.
Hanging out with kids.
It’s just a nice cover for the killing.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:09 pmIf he can’t measure the increase or decrease in terrorist activities he can’t measure success.
He should resign. But I fear ReichWingNuts will foment something and find a way to remain in office long after their terms expire.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:09 pmJust returned from a run around the National Mall.
Party tents are going up.
Getting ready for the National Book Festival on Saturday.
Hosted by the Library of Congress.
Sponsored by Target and AT&T.
And starring Laura Bush.
You will be seeing a lot of Laura Bush in the next couple of days.
Talking with authors.
Reading.
Hanging out with kids.
It’s just a nice cover for the killing.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:09 pmRumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’“
Whereas, Rumsfeld is faulty and ALWAYS flat wrong.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:11 pmSo is Rumsfeld finally facing facts and realizing that terrorism is a tactic and not a physically enemy you can kill?
Is that what just happened. If there is no way to know how many terrorists there are at any given time, how can he continue claiming he is winning or that things are improving. He doesn’t know.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:15 pmWas the flat wrong concept of intelligence in his thought process before this Iraq mess? Or was that one of the unkown unkowns?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:23 pmUhh, Yeah,
Uhh, like the intel that was cherry picked in the “Let’s go to war” theme song?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:24 pmRumsfeld is “incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically”
- Retired Major General Paul Eaton
John R.S. Batiste, another retired army general, delivers perhaps the most startling testimony, wherein he will describe his reasons for leaving after 31 years of service.
“I walked away from promotion and a promising future serving our country, I hung up my uniform because I came to the gut-wrenching realization that I could do more good for my soldiers and their families out of uniform.”
“Donald Rumsfeld is not a competent wartime leader. He knows everything, except ‘how to win.’ He surrounds himself with like-minded and compliant subordinates who do not grasp the importance of the principles of war, the complexities of Iraq, or the human dimension of warfare. Secretary Rumsfeld ignored 12 years of U.S. Central Command deliberate planning and strategy, dismissed honest dissent, and browbeat subordinates to build ‘his plan,’ which did not address the hard work to crush the insurgency, secure a post-Saddam Iraq, build the peace, and set Iraq up for self-reliance.”
America wake the f*uck up !
This is the absolute worst admin in US history
Let’s take back Congress in Nov and the Executive Branch in 2008
September 28th, 2006 at 6:24 pmFaulty and flat our wrong intelligence didn’t prevent them from invading a sovereign nation though, did it?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:29 pmWhat is wrong with these people: they are either stupid, high, drunk or senile — and any one of them can be described by any one of these adjectives at any given time.
Why is Rummy still there? Why are any of them still there?
It’s all a mirage, you see, you think they’re there, but they’re not. But they really are there, making you think that they’re not there, so that when you go after them, their not there.
This desert tactic was well described in “Lawrence of Arabia” and terrorist militias know how to make fools of their enemies through mirage. They’re doing a damn good job on Rumsfeld.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:30 pmHe must be talking about secret squirrel bob woodward and his side kick judy miller! or maybe tenet, surely he’s not speaking of curveball and chalabi!
September 28th, 2006 at 6:32 pmThe president’s daily intelligence reports and ALL our nation’s intelligence is provided by the same agencies and experts who reached the conclusions made public in the N.I.E. Report that Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld have yesterday and today criticized and questioned. The sources of the intelligence they are dismissing and questioning now are the SAME SOURCES of intelliglence they’ve cited to EXPLAIN their previous failed plans and policies AND to VALIDATE their current plans and policies. What determines when Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld believe in the intelligence they’re provided or dismiss it as unreliable when ALL the intelligence they’e provided comes from the SAME AGENCIES and EXPERTS?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:33 pmI can’t wait for the press conference or talk show where this old dummy finally blows his mental gasket and puts his hands over his ears at starts babbling at the top of his lungs…
September 28th, 2006 at 6:34 pmGeorgemademedoitGeorgemademedoitGeorgemademedoitGeorgemademedoitGeorgemademedoitGeorgemademedoit!
hindsight is a real bitch huh rummy dummy?
September 28th, 2006 at 6:34 pmWith Bush’s legacy tied to Iraq it amazes me that he has cast his lot with Rumsfeld–the man who appears to be most out of touch with the events. Iraq is a failed Bush policy and will lead to a lasting legacy of failure and incompetence. Clinton’s legacy is a blow job and Bush’s legacy will be the needless deaths of American soldiers in an ill-conceived and poorly executed “war” of choice in Iraq.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:46 pmIf the man had any dignity, any honor at all he would simply resign.
Everyday he remains in the job is an indictment on him personaly and on this administration, which whithout a doubt, with no shadow of a doubt will be judged as the worst in US history.
And that means you Mr President, prepare for the ridicule of the ages.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:49 pmSo Rumsfield is saying all 16 of America’s spy agencies are wrong? Well, heck, why not just do away with them? Rummy can run things all by himself, just the way he wants to, with no one to gain say him on anything. His boss has talked about how much easier things would be if he were a dictator. Seems like Rummy would be like that, too. Too bad for these jerks that we live in a Democracy. November will prove that to them.
September 28th, 2006 at 6:56 pmBush is too stubborn to fire him and Rummy is too stubborn to resign…and two stubborn white men is why we are in a quagmire.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:04 pmYeah, Rummy, just like the prewar intelligence….or was it the pre 9/11 intelligence? Guess that’s your mantra…..good thing for karmic paybacks because I can easily visualize yours.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:16 pm(1)“there was no way to measure if more Islamic extremists were being created than killed in American-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,â€
(2)“Asked about a U.S. intelligence report that concluded the Iraq war had spread Islamic radicalism, Rumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’“
-Donald Dumsfeld
Ah dufuss, the number of terrorist incidents have gone from 200 in 2000, to 600 in 2002, to 11,000 in 2004. That’s when the Bush Administration stopped counting and reporting terrorist incidents, BECAUSE THEY WERE INREASING AT A PHENOMENAAL PACE. That pretty much shhots Donald Rums*!tfor brains theories in the foot.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:16 pm#26: “stubborn” is too complementary; “demented” is more appropriate descriptive adjective.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:17 pm“Are more terrorists being created in the world? We don’t know,” he said.
Vs.
“There are knowns, and there are unknowns. But there are also unknown unknowns, things we don’t know that we don’t know.â€
Over the years, one known that appears that we do know, is that Rummy really has no idea what he knows and it’s quite possible that it’s the only known that Rummy himself knows…..
September 28th, 2006 at 7:20 pmI wish I could understand the use of the word flat as an adjective for the concept of being wrong……
September 28th, 2006 at 7:25 pmWrong, or right, seems to be a two dimensional issue, as in day or night, up or down, etc.
To try to add a third dimension to a two dimensional concept is kind of confusing…..
(oh wait, confusing, non-sensical…….)
I think I’ve just answered my own question…
(never mind…………)
aguafiero
I think I know the answer to your question.
“Flat wrong” refers to information that is in opposition to what you desire the facts to be and/or that can be spun for your use. Derivation is from “too flat to spin” and “must be flattened from view”. Sometimes also referred to as “plain wrong”.
“Simply wrong” refers to information that you are glad is wrong because you can use it to fool the simple folks. Derivation obvious.
Hope this helps.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:38 pmDonny doesn’t have a reliable way to tell his ass from a hole in the ground either.
September 28th, 2006 at 7:52 pmOk. Maybe you can’t actually measure this effect accurately. Let’s do the empathy test.
If someone had invaded the U.S., ruined it’s economy, destroyed effective law enforcement and fostered fractioning between groups….would we be more in tune with accepting what the invader told us is a better form of Government or would we be more inclined to lay blame for our lots with hatred for the invader?
How obvious can you get?
September 28th, 2006 at 7:53 pm‘The Implication That There Was Something Wrong with the War Plan is Amusing’ – April 20, 2006 Rumsfeid US Secretary of Defence
so you know that the postwar plan is correct and without fault
September 28th, 2006 at 7:59 pmBut intelligence on the current state of the war is faulty ?
A bona fide, genuine psychopath is the head of the most powerful arsenal in the history of the planet. Stanley Kubrick must be smiling. Freaky. Bizarre. Not to be believed. On the bright side, it verifies my belief that great artists are prophets.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:02 pmJeff
Valencia
Rumsfeld=Faulty intelligence therefor:GWB=no intelligence!
September 28th, 2006 at 8:06 pmHere is a paragraph from an Aricle in Foreign affairs magazine authored by Paul Pillar dated March April/2006. If anyone else need sthe whole thing I’ll spell out the link for you. Enjoy.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:08 pmThe Bush administration’s use of intelligence on Iraq did not just blur this distinction; it turned the entire model upside down. The administration used intelligence not to inform decision-making, but to justify a decision already made. It went to war without requesting — and evidently without being influenced by — any strategic-level intelligence assessments on any aspect of Iraq. (The military made extensive use of intelligence in its war planning, although much of it was of a more tactical nature.) Congress, not the administration, asked for the now-infamous October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq’s unconventional weapons programs, although few members of Congress actually read it. (According to several congressional aides responsible for safeguarding the classified material, no more than six senators and only a handful of House members got beyond the five-page executive summary.) As the national intelligence officer for the Middle East, I was in charge of coordinating all of the intelligence community’s assessments regarding Iraq; the first request I received from any administration policymaker for any such assessment was not until a year into the war.END of quote.
“Well, I think that anyone who looks at it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has to say that there was not an anticipation that the level of insurgency would be anything approximating what it is,” Rumsfeld told CNN for the documentary.
What an ignoramus. Isn’t it his job to know these things? I would have to assume that the above quote is actually one of those “cover your ass” lies that this administration does so well.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:21 pmRumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’“
Imagine that, Rummy.
No, really, imagine that.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:22 pmah, he is frggin positive there is no civil war but a little fuzzy on whether terrorists are being created……..
September 28th, 2006 at 9:35 pmNo righties have sullied this thread. My question is: Do you morons still support him?
September 28th, 2006 at 10:22 pmNo sane person can support Rumsfeld.
September 28th, 2006 at 10:26 pmBush supports Rumsfeld.
Bush is the madman who said he will never withdraw from Iraq — even if the only ones left supporting his are Laura and Barney the dog.
This is the Nero-like leader who is overseeing the death of our soldiers at the average rate of two per day, all due to his ego, his stubbornness and his insanity.
#43 I guess Queen has been on my mind all day. I think what goes through Bush’s mind when there is a national emergency is “Bicycle, bicycle”
September 28th, 2006 at 10:57 pmJPark, I think you may have something there –
You say black I say white
You say coke I say caine
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
Sayeth the boy-king.
September 28th, 2006 at 11:04 pmI want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my…ooof!!!
September 28th, 2006 at 11:14 pmWhat a gumbumper
September 28th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Just another neocon lie. They certainly knew and know that terrorism would rise. But than can be useful for their agenda…
September 29th, 2006 at 12:47 amThey must have just thought that invading 2 Muslim nations and overthrowing their governments would make us more friends… common mis-conception.
http://www.getsomejosh.com
September 29th, 2006 at 1:02 am“intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong” but we have no problem starting major wars on the basis of it, no matter how shaky the pretenses.
September 29th, 2006 at 3:50 amWhat is incredible is most of the people commenting sound just like him.
The report itself and conclusions are idiotic. Regardless of iraq, those persons looking to murder our civilians and soldiers will or would still do so at any oppurtunity. The rise in extremism is due more to weak reaction of the world to their aggression. They will just become bolder as time goes on, watch and learn!
September 29th, 2006 at 7:03 amToday’s words gathered from reading the post at 8:36 AM:
‘Let’s take back Congress in Nov and the Executive Branch in 2008 ‘
The only thing I can add is , why wait, let’s do it as soon as possible.
September 29th, 2006 at 8:33 amNobody could have anticipated the insurgency problem–Nobody could have anticipated Katrina-Nobody could have anticipated planes flown into buildings. Hell,nobody could have anticipated that people still believe this administration’s bullshit.
September 29th, 2006 at 9:18 am“Rumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’”
Who writes this guy’s jokes?
September 29th, 2006 at 1:42 pmThe spinning is reaching new heights of bizzare.
What a complete collapse of logic..
Well, there goes Western Civilization!?!?!
September 29th, 2006 at 2:36 pmOh, yes…yes…like the intelligence you CHERRY PICKED on the lead-up to the Iraq invasion.
September 29th, 2006 at 4:53 pm