Rumsfeld To Iraq Critics: ‘This Is Complicated Stuff…So You Just Ought To Back Off,’ ‘Relax’
Rumsfeld To Iraq Critics: ‘This Is Complicated Stuff…So You Just Ought To Back Off,’ ‘Relax’
At his news conference yesterday, President Bush repeatedly mentioned “benchmarks” for progress in Iraq, using the word 13 times. “But he did not discuss the consequences of the Iraqi government missing those targets. Such a question, he said, was ‘hypothetical.’”
At the Pentagon press conference this afternoon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked what would happen if the Iraqi government failed to meet the “benchmarks.” Rumsfeld first responded that “it is not complicated,” but just seconds later said, “This is complicated stuff. It’s difficult. We’re looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty.” He added, “So you ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it’s complicated, it’s difficult.” Watch it:
Transcript:
QUESTION: Sir, what I don’t understand about the benchmark plan — if we can call it that — is what happens if and when the Iraqi government fails to meet the timelines, projections, whatever you want to call them, for some of the major benchmarks?
I mean, we’ve been told that they’re not given ultimatums, but we’ve also been told by the president in recent days that U.S. patience is not unlimited.
But I don’t understand. There must be consequences or responses built into this plan. Can you address that at all?
RUMSFELD: Well, it’s a political season. And everyone’s trying to make a little mischief out of this, and make — turn it into a political football, and see if we can’t get it on the front page of every newspaper and find a little daylight between what the Iraqis say or someone in the United States says or somebody else in the United States says.
And it is not complicated. I’ve explained it two or three times. The president did an excellent job of explaining it yesterday.
And the situation is this. It is that the United States, in the persons of our ambassador and the Embassy and General Casey and his team, have been, over a period of time, in continuous discussions with the Iraqi government at various levels. And they’ve been discussing the way forward through the rest of this year and next year. That’s a perfectly logical thing for them to do.
[…]
Now, you’re looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn’t met. That is not what this is about.
This is complicated stuff. It’s difficult. We’re looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty.So you ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it’s complicated, it’s difficult. Honorable people are working on these things together. There isn’t any daylight between them. They’ll be discussing this and discussing that. They may have a change there, a change here. But it’ll get worked out.
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In other words, it’s hard work. Trust us.
What a maroon.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:40 pmIf its complicated shit, Rummy has no business being within 300 feet. Somebody go get a shitload of restraining orders!
October 26th, 2006 at 3:40 pmLet’s hope Rummy is in his last throes
October 26th, 2006 at 3:42 pmOr else!
October 26th, 2006 at 3:44 pmso, in other words, nothing
October 26th, 2006 at 3:44 pmBiggest.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:44 pmBullshitter.
Ever.
“Honorable people are working on these things together”. There is no honor among thieves
October 26th, 2006 at 3:45 pm“Nothing to see here, we’re taking care of it, just keep moving along, back off, git on home, everything’s under control, clear the area, nothing to see…”
~Don Diego Rummy
October 26th, 2006 at 3:45 pmI think he’s edging into alzheimer’s, like turkey-neck was at the end of his administration. pretty f’ing sad, that for all the top achievers we graduate from our military academies, for all of the real geniuses out there, we’re stuck with this cold war fossil that couldn’t manage getting the lawn mowed by a landscaping outfit, let alone run the pentagon or a war…..
October 26th, 2006 at 3:46 pmSecretary of Defense-ing is hard!
October 26th, 2006 at 3:47 pmThere must be a new level of characterization for this - maybe moral flatulence…?
October 26th, 2006 at 3:48 pm“It’s hard, complicated work disappearing one country’s national treasury into another country’s independant contractors. Hey! I bet if you guys hurry, you can skedaddle next door and catch Ol’ Snowjobber verbally shitting on minorities again! I know how you pinko types love to get in a fury over that. Go on! Git!”
October 26th, 2006 at 3:49 pmThere are knowns and there are unknowns. Some things we know and some things we don’t know. If we knew what we don’t know we wouldn’t have any unknowns to know about. Look. It’s complicated stuff. We’ll do this and that and well, it will all just work out.
I don’t know about any of you, but Rummy makes be feel gooder about meself and the eyeraqis.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:50 pm2001: The grown ups are in charge now.
2006: BUT IT’S HARD!!
October 26th, 2006 at 3:50 pmWe’re all honorable people and Its complicated lying like this all the time. The truth is out there just North, East, West and South of here… somewhat.
Vote Diebold
October 26th, 2006 at 3:51 pmOctober 26th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
The whole “WMD, connections to 9/11, liberate Iraqis from torturing dictator, establish a democracy in the middle-east” thingy was what was complicated. Now we just need to have a self-sustaining stable government in place. That will be easy. I mean, difficult. Oh, henny penny! My goodness. Stuff happens, get used to it.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:51 pm# 9, I agree. What are the benchmarks for dementia?
October 26th, 2006 at 3:53 pm“It’s hard, it’s difficult, it’s complicated.”
Did no one inform these clowns that running a country is more than a way to line your pockets and get some hot fembot sex?
What did they THINK being in charge of the world’s superpower was going to be? People tossing candy and flowers in the streets?
Oh, wait, yes, they did.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:53 pmNo one predicted the levees being breached.
No one predicted the insurgency.
No one predicted 9/11.
They predicted help.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:54 pmThey predicted flowers.
They predicted missle defense shields.
I think Rummy is getting a little dody. First it’s not very complicated then it is. Dubya, Bartlett, Snow etal are saying all over the media we are not “staying the course” , but good ole “for goodness sakes” Rummy says “we are staying the course”. He needs testing for dementia.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:54 pmThis man has no idea what he’s doing.
October 26th, 2006 at 3:56 pm.
Basically BushCo is offering America the following proposition:
Pay Your Taxes and Shut the F*ck Up!
October 26th, 2006 at 4:01 pmWho do you all think would make a GOOD Defense Secretary?
I sure hope they don’t install Lieberman that’s all I can say!
October 26th, 2006 at 4:02 pm“Is it complicated? Well, no it’s not complicated to the extendt that, of course (or as we now know it, ‘of tactic’) it is complicated. Good golly, there are all sorts of complicated factors involving who knows what they know and what they don’t know and who knows whether or not they know. Gee whiz, then, you know, there are the unknowns, which we know are primary with us who are in the know about everything we don’t know. Are we knowing more? It’s difficult to say, primarily because the answer is ‘no’ and, of tactic, we don’t want the American people to know what they already know. Can we predict the future? Oh mercy, no, we don’t even know the present and we haven’t been right about how anything else was going to go have we? So, everyone should just back off, drink some more of the kool-aid, relax, and listen to the drone of my voice taking you to your happy place where my friends and I are taking good care of you in our complicated and unknown manner. And vote “r” team in November.”
October 26th, 2006 at 4:03 pm#22
Exactly.
Bush: We’re staying the course!
Liberman: We’re staying the course!
Rummy: We sure are staying that course.
Merkins: STAY THAT COURSE!
Liberals: OMG dead people, wtf. Staying the course sucks!
Bush: I never said stay the course!
Liberman: I never said stay the course!
Rummy: We sure are staying that course. Wait, what? NO I MEANT~
Merkins: ADAPT TO WIN! *drinks more kool-aid*
Liberals: WTF you noobs, make up your minds
Rummy: Facism is hard work! Back off!
When national politics begins to sound like a Counter Strike chatroom, we are in big goddamn trouble.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:03 pmThis is a good example of how confused Rumsfeld is. He needs to be fired before there’s no one left for him to kill.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:05 pmGood one Spudge Boy!
On the one hand they’re saying that we WILL win in Iraq and on the other hand they’re saying no one can predict the future! These guys are too much!
October 26th, 2006 at 4:05 pmWhy does this dottering old man still have his job?
October 26th, 2006 at 4:06 pmFor the sake of the reporters I hope they don’t allow him to carry a firearm. He is losing it quickly.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:06 pm“You don’t need to see his identification. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. He can go about his business.”
October 26th, 2006 at 4:07 pmLies on top of lies on top of lies on top of lies can get a liitle messy and tangled,complicated stuff keeping it all straight. Tell the truth, we are in Iraq for control of an oil rich region at the behest of the ruling energy/military industrial complex stock owning families and individuals.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:08 pmAh the wild world of Rummy - this guy couldn’t lead ants to a picnic.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:08 pmYou know…. it’s illegal to plan the destruction of the country or the overthrow of your government…. so how come it’s legal to vote Republican?
October 26th, 2006 at 4:11 pmMuss his hair a bit and he’d remind you of Professor Irwin Corry, and make about as much sense.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:16 pmIt’s complicated being responsible for over 600,000 deaths and still pretending to be a Christian.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:16 pmVietnamization all over again. Trying to build a force out of people working at cross purposes to yours.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:17 pmWhy are the Republicans and the Bush Administration denouncing every attempt to expose corruption, incompetence, or outright deception on their part before the election? Do they honestly think that the American public would be served better if we found out how corrupt or incompetent they were after they were re-elected? They need to learn that the time to find out somebody’s not working to serve you is before you vote them back in based on the lies they must have been telling you.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:18 pmin other words…’It to hard for the American people to understand,so why bother. Back off because I can’t figure it out eather. ‘6days..6 weeks at the most’….’slam dunk’….
October 26th, 2006 at 4:18 pm*A person DIES every 15 minutes in Iraq.’…..Is it lunch time yet? …..FIRE THIS MAN,BUSH..if you had some guts.
Here’s Rummy’s tarot reading for today -
October 26th, 2006 at 4:20 pmCareer - The Empress
Touchstone - The Moon
Love - the Magician
Everything in your romantic life revolves around your intuition today, dear Rummy!
You will be very open towards others, and you will be relying on your instincts, adjusting your behavior accordingly.
A word of caution: If you are intending to get serious in a particular relation
ship, do engage your brain as well before totally committing yourself. Intuition is a wonderful sense, but it can sometimes lead to a naïve interpretation of situations and people. Stay in tune with yourself!
Today you’ll be instinctive and dynamic at work. The Empress and the Moon have combined to bring you inspiration, which will make you feel good after a long and satisfying day.
You’ll complete all your tasks with enthusiasm and skill and accomplish all your objectives. In other words - you’re on top form!
Hey Everybody…..”Relaxxxxxx”…..
October 26th, 2006 at 4:24 pmCome on……”Relaxxxxx”…….
How many of our guys are wasted now? What? How Much? 2,800?
Hey…..Relaxxxxxxx…….
25,000 wounded…..?
Relaxxxxx…….
presidenting is hard work.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:25 pm.
“Take a look at it, relax, understand that it’s complicated, it’s difficult.” -Rummy
We have plenty of time……”Relaxxxx”……
October 26th, 2006 at 4:30 pmWhat???? And to think that Rummy predicted that the Iraqis were going to great us with flowers. Guess this time he is right… Rummy can’t predict the future. But I can predict that his days as Defense Secretary are quickly coming to an end.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:31 pm#9 Tom baker,
yeah, I’ve been preaching Rummy’s early Alzheimers for months now. And as for getting his lawn cut, that was funny.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:33 pm“No one can predict the future with absolute certainty.†- Rummy
That is true, but only the Bush Gang can make sure the worst among possible outcomes comes to be, all the while promising the rosiest of possible outcomes.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:36 pmNow, you’re looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn’t met.
We’re looking for a guillotine alright, one that will come down on the necks of the Cheney/Bush/Rove/Rumsfeld/Scalia cartel and all the other neofascists. We want our country back.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:37 pm“Take a look at it, relax, understand that it’s complicated, it’s difficult…..”
“They’ll be discussing this and discussing that. They may have a change there, a change here. But it’ll get worked out……….”
-Rummy
Hey everybody…..Relaxxxxx…..
October 26th, 2006 at 4:37 pm#46 - apologies - meant to type greet, not great.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:40 pmOr is it,”Hey everybody…..Relaaaaaax…..”
October 26th, 2006 at 4:41 pmI’m guessing that the next time this guy is facing a congressional committee, he’ll be required to be under oath and he won’t be allowed to sit there and ask his own questions.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:42 pm“Nothing to see here, we’re taking care of it, just keep moving along, back off, git on home, everything’s under control, clear the area, nothing to see…â€
~Don Diego Rummy
Comment by shmo
Sounds more like Officer Barbrady from South Park
October 26th, 2006 at 4:42 pmwhat a loser this wack job is are ya still proud you wingnuts
October 26th, 2006 at 4:47 pmSo the new jingolism is benchmarks?
Ok, I will play along. I recall a few other benchmarks
1. Votong
2. Purple Fingers
3. Government established
4. Constitution
5. 300,000+ military standing up
Yet the condition is much worse so using your own “benchmarks” you are proving your incompetence.
So lost
October 26th, 2006 at 4:48 pmSo impotent
So irrelevent
Suppression is complicated, hard work, too.
And I’m amazed that no one has posted on this latest tectonic upheaval for the GOP. It gets worse than Mark Foley, believe me, folks. Even Foley never did this:
A federal judge just released the Abu Ghraib rape photos that the WH tried to block. And Goddamned, I thought the ones I’ve seen already were horrific but even these electronically altered pictures are the worst that I have seen.
I hear the videos are even worse.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:52 pmI think I can predict the future! In a generation, Americans will look back in wonder at how a political party could steal an election (or two), then go on to perpetuate the biggest theft in history, stealing oil from a Middle Eastern country that did not attack us, killing thousands of innocent people and our own troops, stealing from the US Treasury and the American people, lining their own pockets and the pockets of their oil company friends, screwing everything up they touched, lying every time they breathe, committing international war crimes unabated and then finally ending up a stinking, smokey ruin (the Republican party, not America).
This administration is a disgrace.
October 26th, 2006 at 4:58 pmAt his news conference yesterday, President Bush repeatedly mentioned “benchmarks†for progress in Iraq, using the word 13 times. “But he did not discuss the consequences of the Iraqi government missing those targets. Such a question, he said, was ‘hypothetical.’â€
—–
Well see, this is what the Bush administration will do: They’ll talk tough, just as they do with North Korea. So far we’ve only heard the light and fluffy words. Just wait until they start throwing the really tough, tough words around.
October 26th, 2006 at 5:00 pmLook it’s complicated. Hell I don’t even understand it and I’m one of the guys making this sh$t up!
October 26th, 2006 at 5:01 pmpresidenting is hard!
October 26th, 2006 at 5:02 pmI don’t think its dementia, I think its a case of being caught up in a web of lies. “A liar must have a good memory” is a saying that fits perfectly here.
October 26th, 2006 at 5:02 pmRumsfeld has to remember what all the other crooks are saying, what he was told to say by those crooks, and all the “answers” to likely questions that he was fed. And nobody can slip up or they end up looking like clowns. You know what? That does sound like hard work!
Rumsfeld has to remember what all the other crooks are saying, what he was told to say by those crooks, and all the “answers†to likely questions that he was fed. And nobody can slip up or they end up looking like clowns. You know what? That does sound like hard work!
Comment by Hunter Morrow
You’re right,Hunter, it is hard work. That’s why you should tell the truth because it’s the easiest thing to remember. (Assuming you know what the truth is and not what someone told you to say.)
October 26th, 2006 at 5:07 pmMore complicated than doing initial research on Islam before going over there?
October 26th, 2006 at 5:10 pmPaul+Gray,
October 26th, 2006 at 5:11 pmWay more complicated even than war planning.
“Step off, beeotch.”
October 26th, 2006 at 5:22 pmIs that sort of like your stuck with the lies you’ve told, not the lies you have yet to come up with?
October 26th, 2006 at 5:26 pm#63 Hunter,
I hope you didn’t misinterpret what I wrote. I should have phrased it differently: One should always tell the truth because it’s the easiest thing to remember. (Assuming one knows what the truth is and not what one was told to say.)
I didn’t mean “you” personally. Have a good one.
October 26th, 2006 at 5:38 pmTranslation: ”Just siddown and shaddup already…what we’re doing is none of your business.”
October 26th, 2006 at 5:42 pm“Relax”….Dumbsfeld could have just come back from his annual colonoscopy and it was still fresh in his mind?
October 26th, 2006 at 5:51 pmI watched a little of the press conference with Bush, when asked about the “benchmarks”. (I can only watch so much in public, in our building lobby, in fear I might explode in anger or puke in digust. How gross would it be if I did both at the same time?)
He vowed that benchmarks have nothing to do with the before-suggeted timetable, acting as though it were preposterous.
Who said they were looking for a guillotine, anyway? I hope the rest of the world has caught on by now that these people don’t speak for the majority of Americans.
October 26th, 2006 at 6:06 pmRummy should have listened to Nixon and tried for Attorney General.
#36 > You know…. it’s illegal to plan the destruction of the country or the overthrow of your government…. so how come it’s legal to vote Republican?
Because voting Republican is voting for JESUS!
October 26th, 2006 at 6:42 pmIraq most certainly has WMDs.
If Saddam does not disarm we will disarm him. It’s not complicated.
October 26th, 2006 at 6:46 pm“Needless to say, the President is correct. Whatever it was he said.”-rummy
October 26th, 2006 at 6:53 pm“I believe what I said yesterday. I don’t know what I said, but I know what I think, and, well, I assume it’s what I said.”-rummy
October 26th, 2006 at 6:55 pmOooops, forgot to put it in bold…
October 26th, 2006 at 6:57 pm“I believe what I said yesterday. I don’t know what I said, but I know what I think, and, well, I assume it’s what I said.â€-rummy
“Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”-rummy
October 26th, 2006 at 6:59 pm“Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.”-rummy
October 26th, 2006 at 7:01 pm“We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.” –rummy on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction
October 26th, 2006 at 7:04 pm“Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.”
October 26th, 2006 at 7:12 pm“If I know the answer I’ll tell you the answer, and if I don’t, I’ll just respond, cleverly.”-rummy
Let me see… We attack the wrong country, and after four years we aren’t close to controlling the country. Whats complicated?.
October 26th, 2006 at 7:26 pmHypotheticals are part of any plan. A good plan requires intellect. Chimpy McJumpsuit is not the right person for the job. Why didn’t 50+% of Americans see that?
October 26th, 2006 at 7:42 pmSo 81 posts and no trolls–Hmmmm.
October 26th, 2006 at 7:43 pmJust a disease speaking.
October 26th, 2006 at 8:00 pm(Rummy) Don’t worry! Be happy! Don’t worry be happy now! Trust me, I’m Sec. of Def. Since I hold that position I must be right! And the Pres. must be right since he’s held the office for 5 plus years, right? After all the cream rises to the top, right?
Well so do the big chunks in a septic tank.
October 26th, 2006 at 8:28 pmLet me see if I can simplify this “complicated” stuff for Der Feldmarshal von Rumsfeldt.
#Iraqi’s did not welcome you in open arms as liberators.
#There were no flowers tossed at your feet during your visit; only dirt.
#The Iraq coffers are emty of $800 Million US taxpayer money supposedly to be used to buy weapons and training for Iraqi army
#Haliburton and KBR have made out like a bandit with the $1.2 Billion dollar, tax payer funded Iraq reconstruction no-bid contract
# Cheney still holds the 400,000 share option in Haliburton on top of his $33.7 million dollar severance package when he left.
#Your roommate in college Sen. Carlucci who is the chairman of Carlyle Group is also getting rich.
#90% of Iraqi want you and our boys out of Iraq.
#57% of us here want our boys out of Iraq.
Conclusion: Enough of getting fat off the taxpayer trough. Get the F**k out of Iraq.
October 26th, 2006 at 8:38 pmHenny Penny!
Don’t worry your pretty little heads about the war, Rummy’s got it handled.
Oh god….
October 26th, 2006 at 8:49 pmHey!! Lets all find the nearest psychic/voodoo priest and pay them to put a spell on Rummie!!
October 26th, 2006 at 8:59 pmTell that to our soldiers you nitwit.
- Tom
October 26th, 2006 at 9:21 pm#42 - RUCerious. I’ve never known you to use the Tarot before. Do you have your own deck? Are you serious with the tarot, using them with focused attention, or are you just playing around?
We’re on the same side here, so I just want to make sure you’re not just playing with things that you might not fully appreciate.
Peace and Blessings.
October 26th, 2006 at 9:22 pm89 - laura, becareful of what you wish for. Psychic/voodoo spells are not to be taken lightly. According to the 105 Universal Laws, that which you wish for someone else, you also wish for yourself.
For example, if I wish for someone to be tormented by his fears, I too will be tormented by my fears. Can I make such a wish (spell)? Certainly. And I know the consequences for myself. In fact, one of the first things a person must do before embarking on the path of a Shaman is to face one’s fears and conquer them. However, I would not know the effects on the other person who would end up being tormented by facing his fears. And if that person has access to chemical, biological and/or nuclear weapons…well, it would not be wise to drive such a person into paranoid hysteria, would it?
And so, for now, I continue to wish that those who know of the crimes of this Administration continue to come forward with testimony and evidence of wrongdoing. Such a wish allows for the rule of law to prevail and restore balance.
October 26th, 2006 at 9:33 pmForever Rums-failed!
October 26th, 2006 at 9:44 pm[…] But first things first. Get this dufus Donald Rumsfeld out of Washington yesterday! [see ThinkProgress]. […]
October 26th, 2006 at 10:44 pmRegrettably, quite possibly the greatest country in the history of civilization is ruled by liars and scumbags……….and the people who DID NOT vote them into office are powerless to remove them.
Hey! Rummy!! Do you actually LISTEN to what’s being said by those you promised to serve and protect?
A parting shot…….your boss ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed…….parroting his lies doesn’t make me wanna be like you.
October 26th, 2006 at 10:52 pm600,000 iraqis are “relaxing”, right now.
October 26th, 2006 at 11:31 pmUncle Rummy is running the show as he’s always done….maybe even sending more snowflakes around saying how difficult this is….or is it getting more difficult to fool the public as this administration has been doing so far by lying to us about how bad it really is in Iraq and how the soldiers and military such as myself oppose this war….Rummy is just another left over crony from the Nixon era and he helped botch up the war going on then….vietnam….
October 27th, 2006 at 12:31 amUncle Rummy is running the show as he’s always done….maybe even sending more snowflakes around saying how difficult this is….or is it getting more difficult to fool the public as this administration has been doing so far by lying to us about how bad it really is in Iraq and how the soldiers and military such as myself oppose this war….Rummy is just another left over crony from the Nixon era and he helped botch up the war going on then….vietnam….
October 27th, 2006 at 12:32 amShort version of Rumsfeld’s babble: Trust me
October 27th, 2006 at 12:43 amLet’s hope the next time we see Rummy, it’s in a House Oversight Committee chaired by John Murtha…
-
October 27th, 2006 at 12:49 amRumsfeld the criminal liar must be forced to resign as Secretary of Defense, or the Congress must vote to remove him from the Pentagon!
October 27th, 2006 at 1:30 amcome on guys…..back off…….relax…….it’ll all get worked out.
5 gi’s slain today.
October 27th, 2006 at 1:49 amand many iraqs killed.
and sadly to say my brother received his orders for his 2nd tour of duty in iraq. leaving september 07.
October 27th, 2006 at 1:52 amThe operatives of the Rumpsfelt Party are not “honorable people.” That is the problem. They cannot be trusted to work things out for the better. They will only work things out so that Bushco robs America some more.
October 27th, 2006 at 2:02 amIs it off the mark to ask if Rumpsfelt thinks the people who were forced out of New Orleans by Katrina will return home soon? Which will come first a solution in Iraq or a solution in New Orleans? Which has government priority? Will solutions in Iraq have to wait for solutions for the people who left New Orleans? Or is it the other way around? Will solutions for the people who were force out of New Orleans be able to return to homes there before there is some solution in Iraq? Can Rumpsfelt give us a time line for either?
Is this getting too difficult for Rumpsfelt to understand?
October 27th, 2006 at 2:22 am#7 “ ‘Honorable people are working on these things together’. There is no honor among thieves .”
That was my first thought when Rummy spewed that out of his piehole.
#12 “There must be a new level of characterization for this - maybe moral flatulence…?”
ORAL Flatulence?
#16 “Vote Diebold”
I heard this quote tonight: “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”……….That was from Joseph Stalin. Scary thought?
#27 PLC…you rock!
#33 Swordsbane……LMAO!
#37 “Muss his hair a bit and he’d remind you of Professor Irwin Corry, and make about as much sense.”
I beg to differ…Irwin Corey made MORE sense.
I saw the press conference like most of us did. He looked like he was about an inch away from going apoplectic. And he had the balls to just walk off and not deal with all the questions.
I can’t wait to hear how Tony Snowjob spins this puppy tomorrow. It should be good for a few laughs.
M
October 27th, 2006 at 5:22 amNo one can predict the future? Then what was all that ‘the war will take only a few weeks’-bull? Predict the future? You guys can’t even see the reality, the present you’re in. ‘Mission Accomplished’ lol. This is coming from people who have studied? Intelligent people? I don’t think so. You see, to be intelligent means to know what is GOOD in this life, and what the GOOD, the PROPER, the RIGHT THING TO DO is. How is a president supposed to know what’s good for his country when he doesn’t know the difference between wrong and right? He doen’t even know the difference between the ‘right’ as opposed to wrong and the ‘right’ as opposed to left. Great leader, great country. LMAO
October 27th, 2006 at 6:09 am“complicated stuff”, rhummy is getting pretty technical, hope we all can understand.
October 27th, 2006 at 7:58 am“benchmark”, the chimps word of the day.
October 27th, 2006 at 8:06 amDon’t tell me what the f*ck to do you senile sociopathic megalomanic. We’re not going to back off, not for one second. We’re going to keep applying pressure until you have a complete mental breakdown.
Rumsfeld, YOU planted the seeds of this mess when you sold Saddam Hussein weapons in the 1980s. But then you’ve probably sold so many weapons to so many nefarious people in your life you probably can’t remember.
You said the war probably wouldn’t last 6 months you piece of sh*t.
You’re bankrupting MY country you traitorous piece of excrement. With MY tax dollars. You’re killing hundreds of thousands of innocents and leaving a vapor of depleted uranium that’ll sicken and kill people for the next 100 years. With MY tax dollars.
You’re telling me this is “complicated” stuff?? WE were telling YOU that when you were planning on marching into Baghdad. But you wouldn’t listen!
I’ll relax the exact moment when a judge slams a gavel and finds you guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Thank your lucky god that I’m a Independent/Progressive and against the death penalty.
October 27th, 2006 at 8:33 amHonorable people working on it? Apparently Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of honor is very different from mine. There is nothing honorable about what is going on–it’s a power grab, pure and simple. Our government is killing, crippling, imprisoning and torturing innocent people. An utter humantarian disaster.
October 27th, 2006 at 8:49 amI just love Larry+from+C’s way with words. Great way of summing up Rumpsfelt’s contribution to the world. Oh, yes and I hope Rump gets what is due him. I can just picture weekends of Rummy water bording. Oh, the shear extacy of it all……
October 27th, 2006 at 9:27 amJericho made me think of it. Bush can’t even predict the past….”mission accomplished” indeed.
October 27th, 2006 at 9:32 amBenchmark: “A standard of excellence, achievement, etc., against which similar things must be measured or judged.”
From what we’ve heard from the mouths of Bush and Rummy, the most pressing of these “standards” would be the Iraq government showing more aggression towards the insurgency. The follow-up question several reporters ask, “But, what if…” doesn’t seem to me to be “hypothetical” in the least.
In this administration “what if’s” aren’t allowed, only “what can”, as in, “what can we get away with?”
October 27th, 2006 at 10:20 amRumsfeld:Now, you’re looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn’t met.
If only.
October 27th, 2006 at 10:22 amSo the death of our soldiers and innocent civilians does not bother Rumsfeld, but ask him some tough questions, and suddenly he’s got his panties in a bunch.
October 27th, 2006 at 10:36 ama goverment for, of and by the people……what part does dummy rummy not get?
October 27th, 2006 at 10:50 amhttp://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
I just watched this movie for the 3rd time. (Sundance Film Fest It was actually shown on Canada’s National Television network (CBC) during primetime a few months ago. It is a movie that every American should watch. Rumsfeld at his very best.
At least go and preview the trailer.
October 27th, 2006 at 12:27 pm“just back off, relax”, don’t worry folks, rummy is in control, no need to worry.
October 27th, 2006 at 3:11 pmthis lying bag of shit deserves to be taken out back and shot like the dog he is.
See http://www.bobbyconn.co.uk/ bobby_conn_homeland_lyrics.htm
The prince was in his castle when I drove up to the gates
In my ‘99 Surburban, forest green with Texas plates
I brought a bag of money, Krugerands & blue chip stocks
And he said, “Let’s have a party, shut the doors so we can talk”
He put my cash into his Bible, said a prayer for our survival
Cut a line on Genesis, held my hand and whispered this:
Relax, there’ll be no warning for the next attack
Relax, and there’s a discount on your income tax
Relax, if they’re suspicious we’ll just change the facts
Relax, ’cause once we’ve started, no, we can’t turn back
We can’t turn back, relax…
The people need a leader who is confident & strong
October 27th, 2006 at 3:20 pmSo I get so lifted that I can do no wrong
If they got questions, I tell ‘em what to think
And when it gets too much for me I have another drink
I didn’t need to get elected, when I was born I was selected
To lead you to our destiny, The Prince of Lies claims victory
[…] Think Progress » Rumsfeld To Iraq Critics: ‘This Is Complicated Stuff…So You Just Ought To Back Off,’ ‘Relax’Think Progress » Saddam Hussein’s verdict was recently postponed […]
October 27th, 2006 at 3:41 pmCan you imagine Rumsfeld going on to preside over a Bush/Cheney/Rove war with Iran? Might happen — although we’re going down to the wire on Iran and that October Surprise thing, the month is not over till the Fat Man sings. Naval exercises in Persian Gulf on October 31st. Honest to God. October surprise as Halloween nightmare? It couldn’t possibly happen, could it? Can you spell LBJ?
October 27th, 2006 at 3:42 pmYeah I saw it on TV, I wished he would have suddenly started choking and grabbing his neck.
October 27th, 2006 at 4:22 pmlook mom its CASTRO
October 27th, 2006 at 4:47 pmWhy do you Americans allow the jews to totally and completely run your nation and your lives ?
Time to get real and face the facts…
The run you media - tv , publishing , music , movies , radio - They run your government - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ jsource/ US-Israel/ bushjews.html
google this “jews in the bush administration”
These wars are for so called Israel , you must die for jews !
http://www.jewwatch.com/ jew-occupiedgovernments-USSR.html
HELLO ! wake the fox up people !
October 28th, 2006 at 1:33 am[…] Then we’ve got the sleight of hand that Bush and Rumsfeld are trying to pull. We can’t have any “timetables for withdrawal”, because that makes the US look weak. So the US pushed for the Iraqi government to come up with “benchmarks” for when Iraqi forces will have the violence under control. That’s a nice escape plan. “We’re failing in Iraq and want to leave, but we can’t admit it. But what if we pressure the Iraqi government to tell us ‘everything will be okay by December 2007!’ Then we can leave and pretend we won! Or, if things are still bad, then we can act angry, blame the Iraqis for their incompetence, and storm off!” […]
October 28th, 2006 at 8:34 pmThey’re not even trying to make the lies sound plausible anymore.
Oh, and it’s apparently illegal to remind everyone that our forefathers killed the politicians who were oppressing the populace.
October 29th, 2006 at 3:07 amSenator Byrd warned them, “Remember the fate of Charles the First!”
October 29th, 2006 at 11:34 pm[…] On Thursday, Donald Rumsfeld told critics of the administration’s Iraq policy that they should “just back off, take a look at it, relax” and “understand” the situation there is “complicated” and “difficult.” […]
October 30th, 2006 at 12:52 pm[…] But don’t worry. Everything is progressing just fine. Relax. […]
October 31st, 2006 at 11:09 am