Rumsfeld: Truth Powerful Weapon in War on Terror

DOD ^ | 8/29/06

[bnelson44]

Rumsfeld: Truth Powerful Weapon in War on Terror

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 29, 2006 – With the war on terror being fought largely in the media on a global stage, Americans cannot allow negative perceptions about the country and the military to be repeated without challenge, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

“Those who know the truth need to speak out against these kinds of myths and distortions that are being told about our troops and our country,” Rumsfeld said while addressing the American Legion National Convention. “The struggle we are in –- the consequences are too severe, the struggle too important, to have the luxury of returning to the old mentality of ‘Blame America first.’”

As in past conflicts, the media today focus mainly on setbacks suffered by the United States in the war, and often paint a negative picture of American troops and the work they do, Rumsfeld said. Speaking to the veterans at the convention, he appealed for their help in dispelling the negative perceptions and standing up for the truth about the military.

“One of the most important things the Legion has done is not only to serve, and assist, and advocate as you’ve done so superbly for much of the past century – but also to educate and to speak the truth about our country and about the men and women in the military,” he said.

Every war involves mistakes, setbacks and casualties, Rumsfeld acknowledged, and every army has members who do not live up to high standards. However, those negative factors cannot overshadow the hundreds of thousands of honorable men and women who serve with humanity and decency in the face of constant provocation, he said.

“That is important in any long struggle or any kind of long war, where any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere,” he said.

The enemy in the war on terror is smart and takes every opportunity e to manipulate the media and demoralize public opinion, Rumsfeld said. But he stressed he is confident that the American people, though understandably influenced by the media, have good centers of gravity and will see the truth.

“I am confident that over time they will evaluate and reflect on what is happening in this struggle and come to wise conclusions about it,” he said.

Rumsfeld pointed to the true picture in Iraq, where a country once brutalized by a dictatorship is moving toward a new future with a representative government that will be at peace with its neighbors. The conflict in Iraq has changed over the years, he said, but the U.S. strategy remains the same: to empower the Iraqi people to defend, govern and rebuild their own country.

The question in the war on terror is not whether America can win, Rumsfeld said, but whether Americans have the will to persevere. Thanks to the sacrifices of veterans like those in the American Legion, Rumsfeld said he believes Americans have learned that quitting is not an option.

“I believe that Americans do have that determination,” he said. “And that we have learned the lessons of history – the folly of turning a blind eye to danger. These are lessons you know well – lessons that your heroism has helped to teach to generations of Americans.”

Biographies:
Donald H. Rumsfeld

Related Articles:
Rumsfeld: American Grit Will Mean Victory in War on Terror
Military Capable of Meeting All Its Challenges, Rumsfeld Says
Rumsfeld to Stress to VFW Need for Resolve in Terror War

Related Sites:
The American Legion

[bnelson44]

The question in the war on terror is not whether America can win, Rumsfeld said, but whether Americans have the will to persevere. Thanks to the sacrifices of veterans like those in the American Legion, Rumsfeld said he believes Americans have learned that quitting is not an option.

“I believe that Americans do have that determination,” he said. “And that we have learned the lessons of history – the folly of turning a blind eye to danger. These are lessons you know well – lessons that your heroism has helped to teach to generations of Americans.”

[Robert A Cook PE]

Truth is an important element in fighting terror.

Now, when will the national/international media present even half of the truth, instead of unvarnished whole-sale propaganda from the enemy's side?

[jw777]

I'm willing to go with the less powerful h-bomb weapon, just to make sure. sarc/

[Continental Soldier]

The truth may be a serious weapon against the terrorists, but the truth is hard to come by in the msm. It is also very hard to come by in anything said by a democrat. If our own press joins in the lying and one of our major political parties proclaims lie after lie, what are we to do? If both the media and the democrats had supported our government and its plan for Iraq, the job there would be done by now, and our soldiers would be on their way home. The media seeks controversy at any cost and the democrats seek power for themselves at the highest cost to our country.

[3niner]

The enemy in the war on terror is smart and takes every opportunity e (sic) to manipulate the media...

I hate to differ Donald, but the MSM are not being manipulated by the enemy, they are the enemy.

[humint]

The question in the war on terror is not whether America can win, Rumsfeld said, but whether Americans have the will to persevere. Thanks to the sacrifices of veterans like those in the American Legion, Rumsfeld said he believes Americans have learned that quitting is not an option. “I believe that Americans do have that determination,” he said. “And that we have learned the lessons of history – the folly of turning a blind eye to danger. These are lessons you know well – lessons that your heroism has helped to teach to generations of Americans.”

Outstanding!

[bnelson44]

I think this article speaks to this. Read it all

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1692137/posts