Boehner: The Military’s Transformation Under Rumsfeld Has Been ‘Nothing Short Of Remarkable’
Boehner: The Military’s Transformation Under Rumsfeld Has Been ‘Nothing Short Of Remarkable’
In the past few days, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has vigorously defended Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying that he is the “best thing that’s happened to the Pentagon in 25 years” and is doing a “marvelous job.”
Yesterday on CNN, Boehner stated that under the Bush administration, the military has undergone a “remarkable” transformation and “there’s only person in America who could have brought about that transformation and that’s Donald Rumsfeld.” Watch it:
In reality, Rumsfeld’s mismanagement has pushed the all-volunteer force perilously close to its breaking point. Some highlights of Rumsfeld’s “remarkable” leadership:
– The military’s equipment is outdated, below standards: Forty-two percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans said their equipment was below the military standard of being 90 percent operational. Thirty-five percent said their Humvees and trucks were not up-armored when they arrived in-country.
– The military faces severe manpower shortages: Currently, the Army has “close to zero combat-ready brigades in reserve” and the National Guard is “in an even more dire situation than the active Army.” Sixty-three percent of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans believe the Army and Marine Corps are overextended.
Full transcript below:
There are a lot of people who want to blame what’s happening in Iraq on Donald Rumsfeld. But when you look at the transformation that our military has been through, it’s nothing short of remarkable. And I think there’s only person in America who could have brought about that transformation and that’s Donald Rumsfeld.
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WTF?! seriously… no really WTF!!!
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:29 pmWhy is Boner getting so much press. Who gives a flyin frito what this hair-dyed pederast has to say about a damned thing? Doing a heckuva a job of hanging himself, far as I can tell, and once the good people of OH get things straightened out, he can look forward to incarceration like the rest of the gop mafiosi who’ve blighted the buckeye for too, too long.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:32 pmYeah, so what. He admitted recently that he hates the troops and that they are to blame for the Iraq Clusterfu&*k. I demand and apology!
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:32 pmI love it when this jackass opens his mouth. I wonder if he has the slightest clue how damaging it is to keep putting Rumsfeld in the news and defending him this way. Somehow I get the feeling that Rumsfeld or Rove has something big on Boehner and is using it to put screws to the guy.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:33 pmMaybe Rumsfeld can do a “Great Job” at Fema in his spare time.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:35 pmYeah, Rumsfeld has transformed them from a lean mean fighting machine into a rag tag band of brothers.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:38 pmWell, it has been the unnoffical policy of the administration to say everyone’s doing a great job right up until they get canned, so who the hell knows what they really think? SOMEONE is going to be offered up as a scapegoat pretty soon. That’s also their policy, although I can’t imagine it being Rumsfeld.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:39 pmAnd what branch of the service did Bayener (wouldn’t want to confuse this dick with an erection) serve in?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:40 pmWhat, he didn’t even serve? Is he too old now? How about a draft?
Bohner and Delay are front and center…..Let’s see does this mean these guy’s are getting big buck’s from the grand old perverts or…Let me guess, are they closeted buddies for rove and gannon.? Hummmmm…..This get’s more bull shit bush bizarro every day……Blessings
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:43 pmI wish I could have gotten away with this when I was a teenager. “Dad, thanks for letting me borrow the car. Unfortunately, me and my buddies got drunk, hit a tree, and transformed the car. No consequences, right?”
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:44 pmThe World Trade Center’s transformation on September 11th was nothing short of remarkable. There’s only person who could have brought about that transformation and that’s Osama bin Laden.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:44 pm.
Karl Rove could not have engineered a better plan to destroy the Dems in this coming election. For Kerry to spit, defecate, and puke on literally MILLIONS of military families, and for the mainstream media to so blatantly spin Kerry’s remarks…this is a priceless gift to the GOP.
This blunder will destroy Kerry, and at the same time will bring millions of Americans to the polls to vote against the Dems who are so clueless.
Wow.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:47 pmPutting Boehner’s statements together, we get:
Rumsfeld has done a remarkable job transforming the military to the point where the generals were forced to make a mess of the situation in Iraq.
OK, truth out.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:48 pmWell, that’s true. The military HAS undergone a remarkable transformation, and if anyone but Donald Rumsfeld had been in charge, the incipient implosion of our armed forces probably wouldn’t have been possible.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:48 pm#10 – I wish I could have gotten away with this when I was a teenager. “Dad, thanks for letting me borrow the car. Unfortunately, me and my buddies got drunk, hit a tree, and transformed the car. No consequences, right?â€
For Republicans, no consequences is exactly what their monied power has garnered them. Security from prosecution.
If Dems win next Tuesday, I’m looking forward to the investigations into what people knew and when. Then I’m looking forward to the trial and impeachment of everyone involved in BushCo’s global fiasco!
It’s the least we can do to prove to the world that the USA can clean up it’s own mess.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:48 pmthe military has undergone a “remarkable†transformation
Well, yes, it has.
Remarkable doesn’t necessarily mean good, now does it?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:50 pm#12 Please explain how this will “destroy” Kerry? What district has him on the ballot next week? Do you genuinely, honestly believe, a large portion of Americans were undecided and just waiting for something like Kerry’s gaffe to make their minds up for them?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:52 pmI wonder is Rumsfeld is paying Boehner to lick his boots?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:54 pmWhere’s Rummy’s medal?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:55 pm#12, John: 1) Wrong thread; 2) You and your right-wing cohorts (the miserable 20-30% who still stand by Bush, his FUBARd war, and his war on the American Constitution) are the only ones who have not moved on. Get with the program, you know damned well that Kerry did not intentionally insult the troops!
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:55 pmI wouldn’t look for investigations anytime soon. The Dems would have to get a CLEAR majority, and remember… some of the dems voted for many of the things they’d be investigating. What we’re going to see is everyone running around covering their ass for two years until the presidential election. After Bush is gone… MAYBE we’ll see some of those investigations, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. If there’s one thing Washington DC is very good at is sweeping everything under the rug while looking innocent. The Reps haven’t cornered the market on damage control.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:55 pmhe is as delusional as the idiots he supports. There isn’t a military historian currently punditing that hasn’t ripped the admin for having destroyed the military?
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:57 pmhe must be running for president, hence gaining campaign funds, to use for his legal defense……. what else can he do? lying is his job, and his constituents will have their governor replace him when Nancy is president next year.
#12 Is that Black Tar Heroin or the real good Afghan stuff? I recognize the lucid dream state. Good thing we got rid of those Talibans so me and you could get high quality, and cheap heroin again. I only regret that the bastards are on the rise again and I may have to switch back to the Mexican stuff.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:57 pmWhile the mainstream media is focusing on these jerks, real reporters at local stations like this are reporting what should be in blaring loudly on the MSM
KFDM, Beaumont, TX:
Early voting runs through Friday, November 3rd.
KFDM continues to get complaints from Jefferson County voters who say the electronic voting machines are not registering their votes correctly.
Friday night, KFDM reported about people who had cast straight Democratic ticket ballots, but the touch-screen machines indicated they had voted a straight Republican ticket.
Some of those voters including Lamar University professor, Dr. Bruce Drury, believe the problem is a programming error.
Saturday, KFDM spoke to another voter who says it’s not just happening with straight ticket voting, he says it’s happening on individual races as well, Jerry Stopher told us when he voted for a Democrat, the Republican’s name was highlighted
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:00 pmBoner aka Boehner is a true butt kisser. Bush/Cheney must of promised him Tom DeLay’s position for his support. McCain was promised help with being the next President if he kissed butt. The only problem is the American people know the truth and the Christians know Bush lied to them and called them nuts. 105 soldiers dead in Oct. new Bush military policy is to leave soldier behind to die. After talking to my daughter in the war zone she said the troops know what a worthless f__k the White House/Congress/Senate/House of Rep are and how their treating our troops. So for all the Bush supporters the only people your still fooling is right here in America not our troops they know Bush is a liar and coward/Rummy clueless and coward/ Cheney coward and scared to join military when needed.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:00 pmNo. 12, Kerry did not “puke” on the troops with this statement. His statement was supposed to be that if you don’t study, “You end up getting US stuck in a war in Iraq.” Which is what Bush, a famously lackadaisical C student, did. He was referring to Bush not studying so he can’t think real life through sufficiently and now has the country stuck in Iraq, not the troops . (Though with how bad the situation is there, they certainly are). Yet just about every MSM outlet reports he was referring to the troops. The college students got the joke was on Bush, and laughed. Their laughter, however, was edited out of network news. Anything new about that?
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:04 pmBush and his buddy Rumsfeld have done more to demoralize and decimate the armed services with their insufficient number of troops, badly thought out battle and occupation plans and inadequate equipment than Kerry’s omission of the word “US” will ever do to Kerry. Yet Rumsfeld and Brownie get praised for their incompetence. The show just gets better and better.
And only right screw jobs think that. The rest of us paid attention to what he was saying, which was calling Bush stupid. But then again reality has a liberal bias.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:07 pmim’s forthcoming?
j-boehn: you’re the best!!!!
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:10 pmrummy1: don’t forget to measure
“The transformation of the US military into lambs to the slaughter has been nothing short of remarkable.”
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:11 pmSince we are on the subject of idiots ion this administration getting praise that is undeserved…read this.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:13 pmWayne, that’s really bad news about the voting machines. Can this possibly be corrected (I was going to say fixed, but it sounds like it already has been ‘fixed) by election day?
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:16 pmYeah, they’ve done a heck of a job with the military all right – including changing the long-standing “Posse Comitatus Act” which also happened in a closed-door signing at the Whitehouse on October the 17th – the same time Bush signed the “Torture Enabling Act.”
I’m astounded the Mainstream News Media hasn’t reported on this, as it gives Bush the authority to declare Martial Law at with no oversight whatsoever in any emergency – whether it be real or fabricated. Most Americans aren’t even aware of this – and it’s downright scary once you read all of the details.
The Real Possibility of Bush Declaring Martial Law!
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:18 pmAnd what branch of the service did Bayener (wouldn’t want to confuse this dick with an erection) serve in??
Comment by RUCerious
Actually, John Bonehead did serve in the military. During the Vietnam War he enlisted in the Navy. He was soon discharged, however, after just eight weeks of Boot Camp because of a bad back. Probably got that old war wound from swabbing out the toilets at the Officer’s club where he might have learned how to kiss a little ass to get ahead.
Still, all two months of military experience is more than about 99% of all Republicans and therefore it qualifies him to speak with authority and conviction on the state of military affairs under Rummy’s leadership.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:19 pmThe Remarkable transformation is outsourcing for private companies.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:21 pmIt gets better/worse…
The Military Times – read worldwide by the troops – is reporting on this story – and about Boehner’s refusal to apologize.
Business has picked up, folks. Read all about it.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:22 pmNumerous generals have called for Rumsfeld to stepdown. He is void of credibility among the military leadership. If, as he was advised by his generals, used the Powell Doctrine (massive force), we would have been out of Iraq some time ago. Following his botched takeover of Iraq he continued to micromanage and then lay blame for failure on others even when he would give mia culpas to the press. He truly does not believe he botched anything. His arrogance would not permit that. Boehner must be just as much an arrogant SOB, or is just an idiot.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:27 pmThe rest of us paid attention to what he was saying, which was calling Bush stupid. But then again reality has a liberal bias.
Comment by SpudgeBoy
That’s because you are a deep thinker, Spudge. I heard somewhere that the average American’s attention span is about 11 seconds. If you don’t get and keep it by then, citizen X is off picking his nose or flipping channels trying to find the WWF’s wrestling schedule.
Which is why the country is so easily fooled and manipulated by soundbites, distortions, and enuendos. Karl Rove knows that. Unfortunately, the leaders (?) of the Democratic party do not.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:28 pmNo. 12 is just a low paid Pentagon bull pen plant. :) He’s “correcting” misleading new…..setting the record straigh ya know.
Hey John, loser, is that the best you can do? :)
Where do they dig up these guys. They must need attention and $ pretty badly
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:28 pmwtf?
this whackjobs are really out of touch. of course he made his decision sitting in his leather recliner listening to the occupiers of the whitehouse.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:29 pmThe primary goals of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are to fight the ‘mindset’ of liberalism rather than to fight terrorism. All Rumsfeld comments on is perceptions. Wars is spin for Rumsfeld, The war is at home for Rumsfeld. No planning was required for Iraq. Consequently Iraq has been a military disaster.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:30 pmWayne, that’s really bad news about the voting machines. Can this possibly be corrected (I was going to say fixed, but it sounds like it already has been ‘fixed) by election day?
Comment by JaneESchneider
If we had a real justice department, not the criminal enabling one under Gonzo, they would already be all over this.
I am beginning to wonder how widespread this “computer glitch” is going to be. The only way the repugs can win is to rig the elections and that seems to be under way.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:32 pm#30 amazing. They have no shame. Extremely sad. Revenge of the arrogantly incompetent and lazy.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:33 pmTerry Jeffrey (moments ago) is spinning the problems with Rumsfeld’s leadership and placing blame on Condi Rice because “its the state department’s job”. However, Rumsfeld has systematically tried to squelch State’s objectives because he believes he has all the answers. But then this has been the problem all along. Bush takes everything Rumsfeld says as gold. He is Bush’s daddy. The White House is dysfunctional because Bush is not intelligent enough to be a leader. He relies too much on others. Cheney and Rummy have a greater agenda. Their’s is to reshape America into an imperalistic nation and to have government take over our lives.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:43 pmSeveral people took issue with my comments about Kerry. Thinking back to when Dan Rather tried to use forged documents to damage Bush, then stubbornly refused to admit it was wrong….I said then THIS IS THE END OF DAN RATHER’S CAREER.
Many young and naive folks ridiculed and derided my opinion….and then Dan Rather went down in flames.
Kerry just destroyed his own chances of being the presidential nominee. He will be a laughing stock now, and his name will be forever associated with his insane comments. Unfortunately for the Dems, he is one of them. ouch.
You can bet Karl Rove is wringing his hands in glee. This will galvanize MILLIONS to vote against the Dems.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:45 pmBoehner’s right, it IS remarkable!
I mean, who would’ve thought that a disorganized, ragtag band of civilians in flip flops could fight the military of the most powerful nation on earth to a bloody stalemate in just three years??!!
Oh, that’s right – actually, millions of people thought that, but Bush called them “a focus group.”
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:46 pmBoehner gets a “C” for his votes supporting the troops from a national group of Iraq and Afganistan veterans. By way of comparison, Pelosi gets a B+.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:51 pmJohn
How many times do those same 30%/millions count in your “Rovian Math”?
And you know, I was recently given an old clock that needs to be repaired until it can keep REAL time. But, by golly, it’s right twice a day – about the same rate as you and the rest of your neocon buddies.
Enjoy your day in BushWorld (”it’s a small world, after all, …)
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:52 pmJohn, among the troops, Kerry is no laughingstock. He gets a “B” grade from veterans for his supporting votes.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:53 pmAnd the Army strikes back!
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2328683.php
It looks like it doesn’t set well with the military that they are being blamed for the failures in Iraq.
Too bad!
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:54 pmYes, isn’t it remarkable how the best-trained, best-equipped, and best-led military force in the world was converted to a shadow of its former self in just six short years?!
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:30 pmKeep pushin the bull John if it makes you feel better. It won’t make a bit of a dif.
See you after Nov 7……if you have the guts to show up
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:37 pm#44: [Kerry] will be a laughing stock now, and his name will be forever associated with his insane comments.
I don’t necessarily doubt that this is true. This is what happens when a Democratic politician misspeaks–and in this case, it was a simple case of accidentally reading his prepared statement incorrectly. The media is having a field day with this, I can plainly see. The real question: is this justified? I would say no. The botched statement obviously isn’t a reflection of what Kerry really thinks.
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:43 pmBush: “The Iraq war will be seen as nothing more than a comma…”
Bush cultists: why were there not calls of outrage from the media over this? It certainly doesn’t show much respect for the troops who have been fighting and dying there.
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:49 pmBush calls the Iraq debacle with its death and destruction merely a comma.
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:59 pmSnow calls the dead in Iraq as merely a number.
Rumsfeld says the soldiers are fungible.
Kerry awkwardly calls the prez stupid, yet he is accused of insulting the troops.
Boehner, who passed out bribe checks on the House floor, directly blames those who are fighting on the ground for the failures, exonerating Rummy and Bush&Co, and no one is asking for his head.
Bush & Boehner to Custer at the Little Big Horn: “your’re doing a heck of a job General”.
November 2nd, 2006 at 3:08 pmAnd so, we have remarked. Can we say “goodbye, Rummy” any time soon?
November 2nd, 2006 at 3:46 pmPop quiz: who was the Secy of Defense under Clinton?
Answer: didn’t matter — Billy Boy loathed the military (as do most Dems) and so we were never going to defend ourselves anyway. Hello, 9/11!
November 2nd, 2006 at 3:47 pm#57 Oh please, not the blame Clinton defense. Once the group responsible for the attack on the USS Cole was positively identified (after the shrub was elected and had picked out his draperies), the shrub and Condi didn’t make a move. In their book, terrorist attacks have a short shelf life if they can’t tie them to Iraq.
Speaking of Iraq – what a flippin’ mess these war mongers have made. Never start a war on lies and without a plan. Dubya needs to write that at least 23,497 times – for the US dead and injured alone.
Rummy has done such a terrible job it’s “remarkable”. That’s what BoehnHead meant, right?
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:08 pm#58 — actually my point was more about why we should not elect more Dems in this cycle. They simply don’t believe that we should defend ourselves.
History will be good to Rumsfeld.
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:15 pm“History will be good to Rumsfeld.” — Liar for Pay
Rumsfeld is DIRECTLY responsible for:
• Deploying a mere 1,500 U.S. troops to get Bin Laden (ending in failure).
• Refusing to deploy the troop levels the Pentagon knew it needed, cutting them again and again, forcing Zinni to resign over these absurdly low levels of deployment, which fostered a great many evils, as predicted. Rumsfeld: “We will do it ON THE CHEAP.” Tell that to families of the 3,058 KIA in Iraq and 530 KIA in Afghanistan (Coalition and U.S.).
• Failing to guard Al Qa-qa, releasing to unknown hostiles:
* 194 metric tons of HMX (high melting point) and 141 metric tons of RDX (rapid detonation explosive. Both are ‘dual-use’ WMD, useful for nuclear weapons or blowing our soldiers and civilians anywhere in the ME out of their huaraches.
* 5.8 metric tons of PETN ((Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, also known as Penthrite). one of the strongest known high explosives– the material the maniac Richard Reid tried to detonate on an airliner by lighting his shoes on fire.
• Failing to guard high-precision machine tools which were looted from various sites. Such tools are another dual-use item needed for making nukes (remember the aluminum tubes? Machining them into centrifuges, if that had been the idea, needed these).
• Failing to guard Tuwaitha, and eight other nuclear dumps in Iraq, releasing two tons of yellowcake, and an undisclosed number of Strontium and Cesium cannisters, to the four winds. This after being specifically and personally warned by the IAEA chief about this danger.
• Failing to properly armor our troops, telling the public that the manufacturer was unable to supply, which was quickly debunked when the manufacturer said they were miffed they hadn’t received an order, after they put on extra capability. The U.S. Army War College says that 1/4 of our troops have DIED for lack of armor. For this alone, Rumsfeld should be dragged in chains back and forth in front of Arlington.
• Allowed, and rationalized, the looting of the Iraqi National Museum, the burning to the ground of the National Library, the burning down of the Koran-Torah Repository, the destruction of every archaeological site in the country, the destruction of the Blue Mosque of Ali, and numerous other acts of criminal negligence and Hague Convention warcrime (as well as a key component of charges of GENOCIDE).
• Authorized several pogroms on occupied cities, including the use of white phosphorus on the population, massive use of cluster munitions, thermobaric bombs, and the use (and dispersal) of thousands of tons of half-strength Uranium.
• Failed to defend the Pentagon on Nine-eleven, or to guard the Capitol, or to guard the lives in NYC and on the planes.
* Maureen Dowd documented that — contrary to Rumsfeld’s persistent denials that he had anything to do with domestic security — that he RETASKED NORAD in July 01, requiring them absurdly to contact him before acting in an emergency.
• Each of these failures, alone, is enough to justify calling Rumsfeld the worst SecDef in the history of the United States, asleep at the wheel, a coward, and a criminal.
There is a vast list of Rumsfeld’s warcrimes, malfeasance, criminal negligence, and maltreatment of our troops.
There is also evidence of a conspiracy to cause a genocide, and evidence of a disregard for federal and international law (as with all the WHIG members).
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:50 pmOf course there is a transformation. We have been at war in for a years. Have the changes made Americans safer is the real question. Suggested response: “NO, way!!”
November 2nd, 2006 at 4:56 pm#59
hey Concerned+Conservative, you’re telling about the guy who snake hands with Saddam on December 20, 1983?
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:03 pmBoner’s Douchbaggery is nothing short of remarkable!
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:28 pmCC – so that’s your m.o.?? make a plea for “reasoned discussion” then trot out a strawman and start humping it?? your slack account is now empty, and you might just as well be another ranting on the streetcorner kook like darryl – to cop one from the VP himself – Go f yourself.
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:37 pmOh for f*ck’s sake, Boehner, just shut up.
November 2nd, 2006 at 8:52 pm#44 When we want to poll morons we will give you a call.
November 2nd, 2006 at 11:49 pmAnd Concerned Conservative comes in and says something stupid…is that a surprise?
November 2nd, 2006 at 11:50 pmWell readers, you have just read quotes above from John Boehner, who could quite possibly be the stupidest person on the face of the Earth!
November 3rd, 2006 at 1:41 am[...] House Majority Leader John Boehner:l The Military’s Transformation Under Rumsfeld Has Been ‘Nothing Short Of Remarkable’ BULLSHIT and how can he say it with a straight face? [...]
November 4th, 2006 at 6:01 pmCarpet lover
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