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Rumsfeld disputes GQ report
Politico ^ | 5-19-09 | Ben Smith

Posted on 05/19/2009 8:33:56 PM PDT by STARWISE

An aide to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Keith Urbahn, e-mails to contest a widely discussed GQ article by Robert Draper, which suggested that Rumsfeld "appreciated" the practice of quoting Biblical quotations on the cover sheets of classified briefings, and that Rumsfeld brought the briefings to President Bush.

Urbahn e-mails that the briefings in question were not routinely sent to Rumsfeld, and that Rumsfeld considers the cover slides "harmful and counterproductive to the war effort."

Urbahn's full e-mail:

The slides in the “World Intelligence Update” were prepared on a daily basis by military personnel serving on the Joint Staff, which reported to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, not the Secretary of Defense. The report was briefed regularly to senior military officials in the Pentagon – only occasionally to the Secretary of Defense and not to the President of the United States.

Rumsfeld was fully aware that words and actions could be harmful and counterproductive to the war effort. It’s safe to say that some of these cover slides could be considered in that category. The suggestion that Rumsfeld would have composed, approved of, or personally shown the slides to President Bush is flat wrong. It did not happen.

Given that Draper used anonymous sources for this charge as well as for the rest of the innuendo in his piece, one would think he might have at least done a cursory review of the facts. He might then have avoided being taken by people with an axe grind. When Draper goes back and checks reality against his reporting, he might also check whether GQ is in need of a new gossip columnist.

UPDATE: Draper emails that he's "thoroughly confident" in his reporting and has "nothing further to add."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: biblicalquotes; dod; gq; quotes; rumsfeld; wot
Article at issue.


1 posted on 05/19/2009 8:33:57 PM PDT by STARWISE
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To: 1Peter2:16; 2Jedismom; 2Trievers; 4mycountry; A_perfect_lady; Alberta's Child; Allegra; AllieOop; ..

~~PING!


2 posted on 05/19/2009 8:34:33 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (LIBS-STILL) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war- Richard Miniter)
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To: STARWISE

I’ll b e the first t admit!

RUMMY has BALLS!!!!!!!


3 posted on 05/19/2009 8:40:05 PM PDT by M-cubed (Why is "Greshams Law" a law?)
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To: STARWISE

I fail to see the problem of having scripture quotes on coverslides. There could be far worse things on them. In other words, there’s nothing to defend and the agnostics should just get over it.


4 posted on 05/19/2009 8:44:52 PM PDT by dajeeps
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To: dajeeps
"I fail to see the problem of having scripture quotes on coverslides."

If widely known back in the 2002-3 timeframe, this practice might have resonated unfavorably with Dubya's unfortunate use of the word "crusade" in regards to the war on terror, one of his several worst mistakes in the WOT (the worst being removal of all US troops from Saudi Arabia, which handed bin Laden a victory). Today, however, Obama's removal of the quotations is simply that Marxist humanist crypto-muslim's attempt to rid the Executive Branch of annoying reminders of our pre-post-Christian heritage.
5 posted on 05/19/2009 9:05:27 PM PDT by RightOnTheLeftCoast (1st call: Abbas. 1st interview: Al Arabiya. 1st energy decision: halt drilling in UT. Arabs 1st!)
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To: dajeeps

The Word of God is offensive and scandalous to all who are perishing.


6 posted on 05/19/2009 9:27:26 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: anniegetyourgun
The Word of God is offensive and scandalous to all who are perishing.

I am not a religious man, but I totally understand the gravity of what is happening today, and the ramifications it will bring.

I am reminded of the old movie version of the "Exodus", and the scene portraying the breakdown of the Jewish society with the end result being the worship of the golden calf.

One can easily substitute today's reality with the reality of more than 2000 years ago.

History repeats.........endlessly it seems....

7 posted on 05/20/2009 12:42:41 AM PDT by Cold Heat
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To: Cold Heat
History repeats.........endlessly it seems....

And there's a reason for that, because it all comes from the same source...

8 posted on 05/20/2009 12:50:19 AM PDT by csense
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To: anniegetyourgun
That's true. As the Good Book says,

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor 1:18

and...

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

And this little gem (which has nothing to do with anything but I laugh every time I hear it):

"As the good book says, when a poor man eats a chicken, one of them is sick." (Tevye)

9 posted on 05/20/2009 4:55:49 AM PDT by kinsman redeemer (The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
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To: Cold Heat
As the Good Book says,

"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." Prov 26:11

10 posted on 05/20/2009 4:59:33 AM PDT by kinsman redeemer (The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
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To: Cold Heat
Yes - lots of people think as you do. But the difference is that we're not simply "in a cycle." All things have changed - nothing is the same.

"Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." 2 Peter 3

11 posted on 05/20/2009 7:01:48 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: kinsman redeemer

Exactly. However, those who are biblically illiterate have no ears to hear - nor eyes to see. That makes discerning the times impossible.


12 posted on 05/20/2009 7:05:25 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: anniegetyourgun

Amen - one of my favorite verses, btw!


13 posted on 05/20/2009 8:10:34 AM PDT by kinsman redeemer (The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
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To: kinsman redeemer

I love your name.


14 posted on 05/20/2009 6:19:35 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.)
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To: Cold Heat

“I am reminded of the old movie version of the “Exodus”, and the scene portraying the breakdown of the Jewish society with the end result being the worship of the golden calf.”

Ummm, don’t you mean The 10 Commandments?


15 posted on 05/20/2009 7:01:14 PM PDT by swmobuffalo ("We didn't seek the approval of Code Pink and MoveOn.org before deciding what to do")
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