‘Donald Rumsfeld must go.’
By on Nov 3rd, 2006 at 11:31 pm
‘Donald Rumsfeld must go.’
In an editorial on Monday, a group of military publications — the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times — will call on Rumsfeld to resign: “It is one thing for the majority of Americans to think Rumsfeld has failed. But when the nation’s current military leaders start to break publicly with their defense secretary, then it is clear that he is losing control of the institution he ostensibly leads.”
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control? out of control is more like it. asshole rumsfeld.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:37 pmOH NOES NOW TEH MILITAREE MOONBATS!
GOBBLEGOBBLEGOBBLE
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:39 pmIs this even a question?
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:43 pmIs this a left wing military group or are the representative of a large number of the military?
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:47 pmHe’s looking pretty “Haggert” these days.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:57 pm#4 What is a left wing military group?
November 4th, 2006 at 12:00 amRumsfeld will not resign because Cheney protects his worthless ass!
November 4th, 2006 at 12:03 amWhat is a left wing military group?
Comment by JPark
LMAO!!!
November 4th, 2006 at 12:08 amthe Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times
Is this for true??? Imagine:
Fort Benning News – We have a found a new, more morderous, savage and crook Pinochet this week. See Page 4
morderous??? Gulp! Murderous.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:16 am#1 kerryinalaska: Damn you! You made me spill my beer I’m laughing so hard! Great post… short and to the point.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:19 amhere is a link to a copy of the editorial, as reproduced in the SFGATE….
i am certain the machine will swift-boat the ‘army times’ and gannett, it is their nature… but, with any luck, rove will fail…
November 4th, 2006 at 12:21 amHey Rummy, d-e-l-u-s-i-o-n-a-l. That’s how you spell it dummy. You are certifiably delusional. You just need to be taken away.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:22 amrisser. Welcome back. Always liked your posts.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:23 amCan you imagine Rove trying to swift-boat all 4 military branches? They would crush him. And this criminal administration! The greatest, most exciting free entertainment this great nation has ever seen!
November 4th, 2006 at 12:25 am#9 LOL, I understood what you were saying.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:25 amI didn’t know j risser was gone but he always adds something to the conversation.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:25 amI didn’t know j risser was gone but he always adds something to the conversation.
Comment by JPark
Zoo told me he was banned for some reason. Then posted as: no not non and nor or something like that. I guess.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:29 amHmm, I don’t think he ever posted anything more offensive than something I would say. I always thought I would have been banned months ago though.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:35 amhi, juan,
yes, i am here to celebrate the end of the bush administration’s destruction of the constitution, the country, and the world… less than 100 hours and the end will be in site!!!
i hope this editorial–along with the crystal meth sex scandal, posting nuclear secrets on-line, and the abandonment of a marine in sadr city–nauseates a bunch of the enemy to the point where they finally realize that to vote for republicans is truly a sick and twisted exercise…
November 4th, 2006 at 12:35 am“W. is the hood ornament, but Cheney & Rummy are the chitty chitty bang bang engine of this administration.” — Maureen Dowd, “A Wartime Love Story.”
No way is King George gonna let them there bells tolling for the war dead break up that ole gang of his, no siree Bob.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:39 amThe power-crazed lunatic was just doing what the PNAC crowd wanted him to do, and now they’re looking for someone to blame. Maybe rubber-gloves Rumsfeld didn’t leave any fingerprints, but then again – maybe he did. If so, Abramoff and Rumsfeld could end up sharing adjacent cells next to a few other members of the Bush administration.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:42 amAm I the Worst Secretary of Defense ever? Sure
November 4th, 2006 at 12:45 amShould I resign? Sure
Should Bush fire me? You betcha?
Will Bush fire me? No, I know where the bodies are bured.
Will I resign? No, and retire on my 100 million net worth? Running the DOD into the ground is more fun than playing golf on Maui.
Finally, the Military have put the arm forces, the men and women, ahead of this asshole adminstration.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:51 am#22 That made me laugh out loud. Sad but true.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:55 amI always thought I would have been banned months ago though.
Comment by JPark
I dont know how ren is not banned. Ha! He is hilarious, like he is always in a very bad mood.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:59 amThe chimp says he stays, and if the chimp says it, that means it is right.
Man, that’s some good ass kool-aid. Kind of a quagmirey after-taste, though.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:08 amAn open letter to George W. Bush,
You, sir, do not deserve the title of ‘President of the United States’. You have not earned it and you certainly have not acted like one. You are nothing but the equivalent of a dummy, front company commonly used by our intelligence corps to perform covert operations whenever necessary. Except in your case, you excepted the task of fronting a cabal of sycophants that only wants to control the masses through fear. Unending and incessant fear usually based on half-truths and/or absolute falsehoods. You are as un-American as un-American can be. You should be ashamed but, you have no sense of shame. You should absolve yourself to the American people but, you have no integrity.
In closing, your dreams of omnipotent rule are just that, dreams. Dreams of a delusional magnitude never before seen in an administration of this country. A country that you have done nothing to benefit. A wonderful country you selfishly seek to destroy for your personal benefit. In your blindness to your aggrandisement, you’re selling out our future and our history forever. I just hope, for my fellow countrymen, that somehow soon, you find humility.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:08 amJust curious, if Rumsfeld does do the honorable thing and resign (I know, I’m cracking myself up already), who do you think GWB would choose as the new Sec Def?
Anyone?
November 4th, 2006 at 1:26 amit’s already decided – McCave…
even ben stein said it should be so last sunday…
November 4th, 2006 at 1:33 amhe wrote nixon speeches, so he should know all about it… (snark)
donald rumsfeld must go TO PRISON
November 4th, 2006 at 1:34 amSorry Zooey but the honorable thing is not resignation. With the death he has caused he needs to fall on his sword. Literally. As to the next Sec Def, who knows…somebody Cheney can control. Probably from the armed services committee. Pat Roberts would be likely.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:35 amkaty,
No frickin’ way! GWB would tease McCave (good one!) with the position, and then give it to Barney or Drownie, don’t you think?
F*ck Ben Stein…
November 4th, 2006 at 1:36 amJPark,
I guess I was going for the least Rumsfeld could do, which is what he tends to do anyway. Falling on his sword would be a good death for him, but he just doesn’t have it in him.
Pat Roberts. Yes, GWB does owe him quite a large favor, doesn’t he?
November 4th, 2006 at 1:42 am#6. a left wing military group is one that thinks if non lethal crowd control weapons are good enough for foreigners, they are good enough to use on our own civilians.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:45 amJohn Deek,
Funny. Actually, it’s your other “left.”
November 4th, 2006 at 1:48 amI bet in secret they’re trying to get a replacement for rummy, but no one will take the job now.
And i bet they won’t distribute these issues of these papers in Iraq itself.
November 4th, 2006 at 2:12 amLets not forget that the political spectrum is not in fact, linear, but is instead circular. Soooo these issues of “right” and “left” is more about where you are standing than anything else
November 4th, 2006 at 2:27 amSUPPORT OUR TROOPS
say it with me…
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
if anyone takes war seriously it’s NOT the people who think it’s a walk in the park. it’s hideous and in this case completely unnecessary. now will this administration question the Military’s patriotism??
the words “broken government” are coming to mind…
hopefully the Dems can fix this mess.
November 4th, 2006 at 3:08 amyeah, this must be some “leftwinged” plot. we all know we went to war because god told bush and we know therefore god is behind all this and rumsf#*k must be guided by our perfect and loving god. therefore, it must be a leftwing thing
November 4th, 2006 at 3:24 amwow…
BRITISH BELIEVE BUSH IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG-IL AND IRAN’S AHMADINEJAD
· US allies think Washington threat to world peace
· Only Bin Laden feared more in United Kingdom (and only by 12 pts more than Bush)
America is now seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbors and allies, according to an international survey of public opinion published today that reveals just how far the country’s reputation has fallen among former supporters since the invasion of Iraq.
Carried out as US voters prepare to go to the polls next week in an election dominated by the war, the research also shows that British voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Both countries were once cited by the US president as part of an “axis of evil”, but it is Mr Bush who now alarms voters in countries with traditionally strong links to the US.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1938433,00.html
November 4th, 2006 at 4:12 amAlthough this blog site is about Dick Cheney I decided to enter an editorial to the Press Democrat newspaper about Cheney as well as Bush and Rumsfeld. So here we go.
Out Of Time
November 2, 2006
The article “Bush backs Cheney, Rumsfeld in interviews†shows how fast the President & Gang’s popularity is fading off the radar screen. Despite Bush’s pumping of any or all support through the Limbaugh’s and Robertson’s megaphones the general citizenry are waking up to the fact that they had been had by The Gang. Here what the megaphones have failed to add: Nearly 3,000 U.S. servicemen have died during the Iraq war. This Iraq war failed to stem the tide of terrorism as the “cause celebre†for jihadists rose to unprecedented level, breeding further resentment against U.S. involvement and the world at large. The Gang’s promise to end all torture by ending Saddam Hussein’s reign only created more out of control abuse being committed by our security forces, militia groups and anti-U.S. insurgents. Last but not least the new 10-member bipartisan commission headed by James Baker had assessed that the Gang’s strategy in Iraq is “ruled out the prospect for victory.†On the last paragraph of the article where Bush talked about praying being the source of his strength and comfort I believe he is in need of it more than he thinks.
November 4th, 2006 at 4:45 amIf you haven’t been in the military you have no idea how utterly nuclear this is. The Pope just got told by the College of Cardinals he has screwed up. It’s that big.
November 4th, 2006 at 5:12 amI posted this item on the think fast thread last night…..Glad TP picked it up. Do I think bush will do what the people want and what our troop’s need.? No, but with enough pressure and voter turn out we may be able to turn the tide…
Localy, Issaquah, Washington….A single mother, bus driver was fired from her school bus driving job because she flipped off bush while he was stumping in his campaign for Reichart…She and the union are trying to get her job back……The elite in power can call names and use bad language but not the peons….It’s O.K. to steal, lie, use our soldiers for cannon fodder, distroy the constitution and sell out our country (if you are on the reich) but if you are not allowed, if you are the working class to show displeasure…..Here’s to you bull s*&^ bush (holding up both of my middle finger’s)……and reichart I hope you loose you’re bid in this race as well, you are no more than a reich winged enabeler….Blessings..Only 3 more day’s…
November 4th, 2006 at 6:42 am#42 honest to goodness I don’t hear that, I work at two military establishments and the support of the President and SECDEF is strong. In casual conversations they are not pleased with the media representation of the military in general, the military at large is enormous and I’m sure major disagreements and desire for change exists. I think Rumsfeld has been an unmitigated disaster as Secretary and long ago should’ve been gone.
should the Democrats win the House and Senate, I don’t expect a major change in Iraq policy. You may have some members as they are now requesting changes, but the reality of the situation is it’s a mess with no easy solution. Other than the current approach I don’t expect any newly elected Democrat to state a drastic change in Policy. I wish there had been a cohesive approach as an alternative so voters have a clear idea of what they stood for.
I think Tuesday will be a clear repudiation of the current Congress and also the President. But newly elected Democrats I don’t think will voice strong alternatives to the current policy….I hope I’m wrong.
November 4th, 2006 at 6:52 am#43 I disagree with you on this point, I think any employer might fire an individual giving the finger in the presence of children. That is their stated response and the party of the person they flipped is not relevant. The action caused the dismissal.
I guarantee you my employer would fire me should I do that do a co-worker, boss or a competitor. The lady was on a job and not at a political forum…..if she had been at a rally or discussion using the finger is fine by me as an opposition point, but not on a job.
approach a co-worker, boss tomorrow and give them the finger and see how it’s treated.
November 4th, 2006 at 6:57 amLaura can’t even get Rumsfeld fired. What’s going on here?
Laura wears the pants in this neurotic, emotionally- disturbed, and dysfunctional family. George wears the dresses, and I bet he looks fabulous, fabulous, fabulous, fabulous.
Laura, you talk some sense into this silly, silly, silly boy. A boy named Sue????
BTW, I’m gay. I’m just having a little fun at George’s expense.
“Hey, hey, ho, ho Rumsfeld has got to go.”
“Hey, hey, ho, ho Rumsfeld has got to go.”
“Gay, gay, ho mo, Bush has got to go.”
“Gay, gay, ho mo, Bush has got to go.”
John
November 4th, 2006 at 7:00 amYeah, I think that the endgame is getting close. It will happen faster than people realize. There are several stories like, “Baghdad Is Under Siege” by Patrick Cockburn, that seem to indicate that the inevitable end to the Iraq debacle is coming. This unusually vocal editorial, direct from the military, is another indication.
November 4th, 2006 at 7:25 amI give the handful of people that had to make the ultimate decision whether this unified statement, in the respective news publications of all 4 branches of our military, a great deal of credit for their balls. The political assassins will go after them, whoever they are, with both guns blazing. I just don’t see any way that Rumsfeld survives this. It’s the ultimate “support our troops” moment. Well, if they want us to support the troops….it’s pretty clear what needs to be done.
And they thought the military would be calling for John Kerry’s ouster. Funny, reality can be so satisfying. So can justice.
Quick comment on 11/7, and what the GOP machine has up its sleeve:
So the rightwing hacks who daily attempt to brainwash Amerians via TV and radio with their lies and talking points have been saying for the last few elections that the foul play at the polls isn’t being done by the R’s….look at the D’s. A breathtakingly audacious reversal of reality that essentially defines Rovian politics. Attack them where you are weakest or accuse them of the very heinous crimes and misdeeds that you intend to execute yourselves.
So I click over to Fox last night to see what the facists are cooking up for the stretch run, and lo and behold, Hannity is going wall-to-wall election hanky-panky. Specifically the story about the “smart-cards” in TN. Then I click around some more and there are similar stories all over the place. What I saw was not calling out the Republican dirty tricks to suppress the vote or the Diebold secrecy and conflicts of interest, etc. It was much more sinister. Lou Dobbs had talked some about Diebold but the counterpoint in the story was that Hugo Chavez and/or the Venezuelan government had purchased Sequoia (3rd largest voting equipment maker), and we all know how Chavez can’t be trusted (unless he’s trying to keep Northern Americans from freeezing in the winter by giving away millions worth of heating fuel).
So this will be the plan for the GOP and their wingnut minions on Tuesday. Muddy the waters, confuse the vote-counting issue with conflicting stories about the validity of the election. Have the Diebold’s, GOP operatives and their media hacks work their magic to call into question the results that don’t reflect the results that they’re looking for. Steal, spin, bully and lie…but do not, under any circumstances, allow the will of the people to prevail.
Hack the vote is well under way. This is the only way they can retain power and the full court press is on.
November 4th, 2006 at 7:27 amJay, good post. ..I have been watching the voting machine mess for several day’s….If we win will the reich demand a new vote.? If we loose will the Dem’s.? Or will this all just go away untill 2008.? How in h&^^ did a foreign country get control of OUR voting machines.? Probably just like they did our port’s…So the circus show continues untill Wed. Morning and maybe beyond…
#45 richb…..While you are correct on the one hand, the decesion to fire and work place protacal is alway’s to not do such things to others on the job and also not around children. I question the severety of their actions by fireing her…Suspension and repremand would of been better it seem’s to me…Next given the terrible crime’s bush and this administration have done to our country and the world flipping bush off is a minascule response….Reichart is a tool for the reich wing bush bunch and I hope he looses his bid……Blessings
November 4th, 2006 at 8:19 amLooks like there’s going to be a bunch of unemployed folks come Monday morning. No criticism allowed!
November 4th, 2006 at 8:27 amAmerica’s Least Wanted
We must demand that Bush and Cheney resign from office immediately. Please write to the DNC and the MSM demanding this! Imagine if the Dems had posted on the Internet highly sensitive material. They are not making us safer and the public must start sounding off! THEY MUST RESIGN!
November 4th, 2006 at 8:40 amWhy does the US military hate America?
-GSD
November 4th, 2006 at 9:06 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr5tx0lcyQc
I’m adding this to my favorites and watching it every day.
It’s called “freedom”
November 4th, 2006 at 9:36 amWhen the Iraqis voted they proudly held up a purple-stained finger to show that they had done so. The purpose of the stain was to prevent the same person from voting more than once.
I propose we do the same thing, only that instead of using the index finger, we use the next digit. Then we too may proudly hold up our finger to the Administration to show that we too have voted.
November 4th, 2006 at 9:38 amI love that idea, Briseadh na Faire!
November 4th, 2006 at 9:41 am53 – trublu – thanks.
November 4th, 2006 at 9:44 amWe need to wait and see what kind of coverage is given to this story by the MSM when the editorial is published on Monday. So far I only see NBC saying anything about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the MSM buries it until after the election. The MSM has a history of burying stories with the excuse that they don’t want controversy to unduly affect an election (of course, in reality, this applies mostly to stories that reflect badly on their GOP masters).
November 4th, 2006 at 10:15 amThe only reason Bush wants to keep Donnie Rummy is to retain the #1 scapegoat. “Losers use soft arguments but hard words.”
November 4th, 2006 at 11:13 amSomething I just posted on a Kerry thread that I think fits here quite well. Note that goons refers to forum members on a site called Something Awful, it is not an insult.
Ted
They had Kevlar, but when you are going into a warzone armour capable of stopping a assault rifle round should be the requisite – after all in that situation you are more likely to face assault rifles then handguns. In the end they managed to get 62 of the requisite inserts for the goons in Iraq.
After a while in Iraq the guys from Something Awful actually did get armour inserts from the army too:
Cracked, delaminated and otherwise damaged armour should be scrapped. It should not be given as a hand-me-down to soldiers still serving :- it should be replaced. There was no need to go in with sub-standard equipment, and certainly no need to not have a constant supply of replacements for perishable equipment.
Like I said earlier, there was no need to rush into Iraq. Rumsfeld had the time to argue for more equipment, and if he felt he had not got enough equipment and too weak a supply of replacement equipment, he should have taken the time to argue up his budget. There was no need to go straight into Iraq while Afghanistan was still on, and that there was an issue of units having to keep the same armour from the start of their tour to the end of it, even when it got damaged, and then having to hand down that damaged armour once their tour was over, shows that Rumsfeld did not maintain a strong supply chain. Damaged equipment should not have needed to remain in circulation without it being repaired to its full function.
Think about this: This administration has cost America more then any previous administration has. It has doubled America’s debt (Clinton cut it by 10%) and it has not even provided for adequate armour for its troops in a war zone. That to me at least, is shocking.
November 4th, 2006 at 11:51 amI’ve been watching CNN (I don’t watch any news only channels so this was a break in routine for me.) Last night they had program called “Broken Government”. It’s all about the stuff we already know but needs more and more air time.
November 4th, 2006 at 12:27 pmCheney has already declared they don’t care what the public thinks – and they work for us!
November 4th, 2006 at 1:31 pmSo why should we think they care about what the military think?
I always read james risser’s comments – I didn’t know he was banned for a while. In any case, I am glad he’s back.
November 4th, 2006 at 1:32 pmMARIE “H1″ HIBBLER, MSgt, USAF
Instructor, Aviation Resource Management Apprentice Course
334th Training Squadron
DSN: 597-3380 Comm:228 377-3380
“FEED YOUR FAITH AND STARVE YOUR DOUBT”
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trailâ€
Subject: First Black West Point Female Commander Dies In Iraq
PASS THIS AROUND……..WE NEED TO KNOW!
Subject: First Black West Point Female Commander Dies In Iraq
vert.west.point.ap.jpg
BET YOU WON’T SEE THIS ON CNN
Only 23…
NEWS BRIEFS
First Black West Point Commander Dies In Iraq
Sept. 27, 2006 – The nation is mourning the death of Lt Emily Perez, 23, the first Black woman to serve as corps commander sergeant major at West Point. Perez, who graduated in the top 10 percent of her class, out-ran many men, directed a gospel choir, read the Bible every day. She also headed a weekly convoy as it rolled down treacherous roads, pocked with bombs and bullets near Najaf, Iraq. As platoon leader, she insisted on leading her troops from the front. She died Sept. 12 when a bomb detonated near her Humvee in Kifl, south of Baghdad Shortly before shipping out to Iraq with the 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, she flew cross-country to be a bone marrow donor for a stranger who was a match. She was the 64th woman from the U.S. military to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.perez22sep22,0,5095709.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
November 4th, 2006 at 1:38 pmSo W is OK with listening to his generals on the ground as to how to execute the war, but not ok with listening to them tell him his SecDef is an incompetent, doddering old fool??
November 4th, 2006 at 2:03 pmGee, I’d love to hear how the Fright Wing Noise Machine is going to spin that one!
November 4th, 2006 at 2:06 pmThe Army Times called for Rummy’s head once before, in May of 2004. Lotta good it did then and it won’t now.
November 4th, 2006 at 2:07 pmGee, I’d love to hear how the Fright Wing Noise Machine is going to spin that one!
Comment by Cheney/Voldemort 2008 Campaign HQ — November 4, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
The freaks in thrall to Bush will find a way.
November 4th, 2006 at 3:30 pm“Like I said earlier, there was no need to rush into Iraq.” –Bruce Gorton
Read Cobra II. Rumsfeld’s theory (action) of ‘transformation’ required him to blow away all concern for the troops, in repeated episodes of aggressively countering military demands (which became requests, in an epic betrayal by the cowed brass) for safety equipment, for safety of numbers, for after-invasion planning, for guarding of the IED materials that are now blowing our soldiers away at an awesome rate.
The ‘need’ was for Rumsfeld’s power. We are in the middle of a coup that involves the anti-democratic tyranny of ideologues who, beyond any committment to troops, to country, to right and wrong, have a tireless intent toward absolute power. In the case of Rumsfeld, this drive for absolute power over the brass (and especially the JCS, who he despises) has resulted in hang-by-the-neck warcrimes, and criminal negligence in force protection on every level.
“Rumsfeld thought the Army’s problems could be solved by lining up fifty of the generals in the Pentagon and gunning them down.” — Cobra II, page 8.
Compare with the ‘jesting’ of Ann Coulter, or the smirking hatred of liberals seen throughout the rightwing thugocracy.
Btw, Cobra II is a piece of stinking garbage. Two passes through the CIA, and Pentagon censors, it seems, producing plenty of disgusting excuse-making and military lingo, and a callous disregard for needeless mass death and horrendous illegal violence against the innocent. Ptui!
November 4th, 2006 at 3:52 pmBy the bye, if he allways has to go, he can take industrial strength Imodium.
November 4th, 2006 at 6:43 pmCNN is conducting a poll today. 85% say that Rummy should go.
At least the 15% who say he should stay is down from the usual 30% of boneheads who follow their leader.
November 4th, 2006 at 7:40 pmDocuments: 1999 U.S. War Games Predicted Iraqi Chaos
Saturday , November 04, 2006
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue.
In its “Desert Crossing” games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs.
The documents came to light Saturday through a Freedom of Information Act request by the George Washington University’s National Security Archive, an independent research institute and library.
• Visit FOXNews.com’s Iraq center for more in-depth coverage.
“The conventional wisdom is the U.S. mistake in Iraq was not enough troops,” said Thomas Blanton, the archive’s director. “But the Desert Crossing war game in 1999 suggests we would have ended up with a failed state even with 400,000 troops on the ground.”
There are currently about 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, down from a peak of about 160,000 in January.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command, which sponsored the seminar and declassified the secret report in 2004, declined to comment Saturday because she was not familiar with the documents.
The war games looked at “worst case” and “most likely” scenarios after a war that removed then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power. Some are similar to what actually occurred after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003:
—”A change in regimes does not guarantee stability,” the 1999 seminar briefings said. “A number of factors including aggressive neighbors, fragmentation along religious and/or ethnic lines, and chaos created by rival forces bidding for power could adversely affect regional stability.”
—”Even when civil order is restored and borders are secured, the replacement regime could be problematic — especially if perceived as weak, a puppet, or out-of-step with prevailing regional governments.”
—”Iran’s anti-Americanism could be enflamed by a U.S.-led intervention in Iraq,” the briefings read. “The influx of U.S. and other western forces into Iraq would exacerbate worries in Tehran, as would the installation of a pro-western government in Baghdad.”
—”The debate on post-Saddam Iraq also reveals the paucity of information about the potential and capabilities of the external Iraqi opposition groups. The lack of intelligence concerning their roles hampers U.S. policy development.”
—”Also, some participants believe that no Arab government will welcome the kind of lengthy U.S. presence that would be required to install and sustain a democratic government.”
—”A long-term, large-scale military intervention may be at odds with many coalition partners.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227567,00.html
November 4th, 2006 at 9:11 pm#52 – Can one also state, “Why do the troops hate….the troops?”
November 6th, 2006 at 2:41 amBut when the nation’s current military leaders start to break publicly with their defense secretary, then it is clear that he is losing control of the institution he ostensibly leads.
Any word yet on when this will occur, if ever ?
November 6th, 2006 at 4:27 amStill just the suggestion that these unnamed, unquotable and unlocated military leaders are doing this without any evidence of this actually occurring ? Oh ok.
Can you imagine Rove trying to swift-boat all 4 military branches? They would crush him. And this criminal administration! The greatest, most exciting free entertainment this great nation has ever seen!
Comment by Mr. Evil — November 4, 2006 @ 12:25 am
Well no, I can’t imagine him doing this, not least of all because he doesn’t need to.
November 6th, 2006 at 4:33 amThese magazines are not produced by nor do they represent the 4 branches of the military mentioned in their titles.
Just like Mother Jones isn’t the official voice of mothers.
Rumsfeld was a drunk and a wife beater in early 1960’s. Is this true? I can only say that is what the parents and kids in his neighborhood thought and talked much about. Northfield, Illinois. Rumsfeld lived on Drury Lane. I lived less than a block away and was 7 and 8 years old during this period. I am convinced one thing is absolutely true – Rumsfeld was not a nice man then nor is he now. My parents told me to stay away from that house – and so did all the other parents (warn their kids). They werent saying those things for no reason.
November 7th, 2006 at 12:32 pm