(President) Bush Defends Rumsfeld As 'A Caring Fellow'

I am really tired of hearing all this crap from the media and the armchair generals in congress about the lack of
armoured Humvees. The Humvee was a replacement for the Jeep,
and in that role it does a damn fine job. It is faster, carries more stuff, is safer and adapts well to other callings, like litter carrier, gun mount etc.
It was never intended to be an armoured vehicle. I doubt any amount of armour added to it will keep our guys safe when a large IED or car bomb goes off next to it.
I bet if you talk to the motor pool guys over there, the
Humvees that are up-armoured are always breaking down with
broken axels, bearings destroyed, springs broken and just
general overload on the whole vehicle.
If you want armour for the troops, then put them in armoured troop carriers or tanks. If you want our guys to
interact with the local population then that is not an option.
In my opinion what we need is to get the imbedded reporters
out of there and let our guys go get the people who make and plant these bombs and KILL EM'.

Yes, he is a real disgrace. Twice wounded in Vietnam and willing to call things as he sees them. Being a DAV from his state, I have had the opportunity to visit with him about veteran affairs. Hagel, having been through the Vietnam debacle himself is very particular about the wars we engage in when we ask young men and women to die for the effort.

Since WW II, I challenge anyone to fully account for the lives we have sacrificed and the lives we have ruined through handicaps, in bettering the defense of our country. North Korea is a more dangerous nation than when we engaged it. Vietnam was a tossup, possibly stopping the spread of communism in Asia. Somalia, Kosovo, are of zero benefit. The Cold War was won by allowing Russia to expend itself into bankruptcy. Afghanistan was a plus by eliminating the base of operations for Al Qaeda.

Iraq is still unfolding but looks doubtful if it had much to do with our security. We have frittered away a lot of American lives in very iffy causes. Hagel might be a pain to some of the neowarriors and armchair generals but you can't say he doesn't speak his mind. We need dissent as well as consensus to keep people thinking.

" I am really tired of hearing all this crap from the media and the armchair generals in congress about the lack of
armoured Humvees. "

One of the most vocal arm chair generals week, after week, after week, has been Field Marshall Joe Biden of the great state of Delaware.

Military experience- Zero.
On yesterday's Meet the Press, Biden said this :

" I don't know about these guys, but when I come home from these trips in Iraq--this is my FIRST one.."

So, just to be clear, Senator Biden ,
who apparently did his BCT in the cloakroom of the Senate and who has one fly by, premier level visit to Iraq under his belt-
presumes to dictate to the Secretary of Defense and the CENTCOM, how they should conduct the WOT.

Another MTP general , Senator Lugar, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said this yesterday, in regards to Secretary Rumsfeld :

" When a sergeant stood up, however, in that public meeting and said something, he got some action, $4.1 billion more security suddenly moving ahead. I say more power to him."

Number # 1.
It was SPC Wilson, who tried to embarrass, IMHO, Secretary Rumsfeld, not SGT Wilson.
You would think General Lugar would understand the difference.

#2. OXENinFLA found the language of Rpt.108-260 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005
[Armored Humvees]
108TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION
which noted that the members of the Senate were aware that the Army was urgently trying to up armor the Humvees,
it was a priority issue,
and the members of the Senate were aware that the factory equipped to do this could only handle 300/ per month,
until Nov 2004,
when capacity would increase to 450/month.

But, you would not know this, judging by the wailing and rending of garments by Generals John McCain,
Chuck Finagle, Susan Collins, Bill Kristol and Trent Lott all last week.
These bums sicken me because their public displays of phony emotion only helps the enemy, not the soldiers.

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