If Don Rumsfeld is driven out, we all lose

Manchester Union Leader ^ | May 8, 2004 | Midge Decter

[billorites]

WAR IS hell,” said Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, and he was the man to know, having led troops in a war that took four years and killed roughly 618,000 American men.

If war is hell, warfare as currently conducted against mostly unseen bands of enemies in civilian dress hiding among bona fide civilians — and not even faintly comparable to the Civil War or other American wars of recent memory — is its own special kind of nightmare. Added to this nightmare is the knowledge that if we cannot extirpate them in their foreign hiding places, we will have to deal with them on our own shores.

And, in addition to this difficulty, grave enough, these days an outcry is being staged — and “staged” is the word — over casualties amounting to a few hundred. Now comes the latest scandal, over the behavior of a few prison guards in Iraq. This new scandal is no more than an election-season opportunity seized by certain serious opponents of the war, along with many more unserious opponents of the Bush administration.

No one doubts that the behavior of that handful of prison guards is impermissible and must be punished. Virtually everyone in the Bush administration, from the president and his Cabinet on down to the janitors in the White House, has by now declared it an outrage, demanding that the miscreants be brought to justice and the prison in which they performed their nefarious tricks be cleaned out and reorganized.

The President, indeed, has apologized to the Arab world for the incident. Keep in mind that this is, after all, a war, and that American troops have been almost unbelievably civilized — especially in light of the unspeakable things Iraqis have done and are doing to one another.

Given the speed of all the apologies, what are those hoping to re-create the kind of public outcry that once greeted the revelations about the My Lai massacre — and hardened whatever hearts were left to harden against the war in Vietnam — now to do? The answer seems simple: Call for the head of Donald Rumsfeld.

The President, it has been joyfully reported, admonished — the word used in several of the papers was “upbraided” — Rumsfeld. About what? About the fact that though the secretary had reported to him on the nasty hazing the Iraqi prisoners had received at the hands of their guards, he had not shown Bush the photographs that were taken by the guards themselves. And Friday, the secretary faced a grueling session before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is demanding to know why he kept an internal report on the prison’s interrogations from it. Soon, it is said, he will be handed his walking papers. And joy will reign in Mudville.

This is not the first press assault on Rumsfeld, to be sure. The military, which he set out to reform on his arrival at the Pentagon and some of whose favorite weapons systems he canceled, had its day in the press not very long after his installation at the Pentagon. There were cries beginning the third day of the war in Iraq that Rumsfeld bore the responsibility for what would be our certain defeat there. And since the fall of Baghdad, every loss of American life has been held to his account.

Now he is in the administration doghouse for failing to show the President the pictures of what was done to the prisoners, not to mention for having caused an irreparably bad odor among senators by failing to share with them the contents of interrogations that had not been completed yet. Out of such kindergarten stuff is fabricated the latest, and most joyful, assault on one of the most capable public servants in living memory.

Aside from the part this ersatz scandal no doubt will be made to play in the Democratic Presidential campaign, this tempest in a teapot about the brutal behavior of a small group of young thugs in wartime says something disturbing about us as a people. This country was assaulted and went to war and may be at war for a long time, for the terrorists who are out to get us have found support and will be provided with ever more dangerous weapons in and by countries beyond Iraq.

Should we achieve it, success in Iraq will have a serious effect on them. Should a desire to cut and run — which is the message logically contained in the continual light-minded assault on one of the most intelligent and steady-nerved public servants this country has seen in many a year — come to pass, the consequences will be felt for who knows how many generations.

Midge Decter is the author of numerous books, among them “Rumsfeld: a Personal Portrait” (Regan Books, 2004).

[MEG33]

Bravo!

[cripplecreek]

Thats why the American people need to recognize just how filthy the political scandal is here. It should have remained behind closed doors so the danger to our soldiers wouldnt be increased.

The democrats are up to their necks in this one and think they can step over the dead bodies on their way to the white house.

[vanmorrison]

One is reminded of the Patton soldier-slapping episode when confronting the Rumsfeld resignation nonsense proffered by the alDemocrati party. Rumsfeld has shown himself to be the best there is in Bush's cabinet. Any right-thinking American should be outraged by this latest alDemocrati gambit, knowing as we do that it is unabashedly intended to undermine the war effort and bring certain defeat, in the next election and in the war.

I'll say one thing. The prisoner "atrocity" episode has revealed the true motives of the alDemocrati party and their Moslem brethren in a stark manner. There is no way any sensible American (emphasis "sensible") can reasonably deny that these people hate America to such a degree that they desire nothing less than our utter defeat. For "our own good" of course!

[texasflower]

Excellent.

[DoctorMichael]

Amen.

[vandykelastone]

I just want to get a LOOK at the one who honestly believes (of course that leaves the dims out, doesn't it) that he can DRIVE Rummy out. Just like to get a look. Tough old bird, Rummy, and just what we need. BTW: did anybody see CNN this AM? They seem to have had some very positive coverage of the girl soldier who has been charged - hometown pictures, etc. No, I don't watch CNN, I was just wandering through the channels.

[syriacus]

Rumsfeld is our Rock of Gibraltar.

Too many good people will be disheartened if he steps down.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Now he is in the administration doghouse...for having caused an irreparably bad odor among senators by failing to share with them the contents of interrogations that had not been completed yet.

Out of such kindergarten stuff is fabricated the latest, and most joyful, assault on one of the most capable public servants in living memory.

Couldn't have said it better myself ;-)

[jackbill]

If a Sec. of Defense can be made to resign over something like this, you can imagine what kind of person would ever want to hold the job in the future.

[gunnedah]

We have a war within a war. The Democrats are doing everything they can to bring this nation down for political reasons only.
There is not a Democrat Leader in either the Senate or the House that is beyond reproach. The sad part about this is that it is dividing our country and we may well end up physically fighting among ourselves.
I almost detest all of our elected officials but the Democrats have been taken over by the far left and they and Kerry cannot disguise this fact.
Why America is so astonished at this surprises me. The young people we send over there are the ones we have trained to act this way by our own actions and we did it in the name of rights. They are only a reflection of the America we have created. The same high and mighty that look down their nose at these young people are the ones who created them with their legalities and the doing away of moral values.
Military training has nothing to do with the way the prisoners were treated. America as a Nation is responsible for their actions, we trained them as they grew up.
Look at your Democrat leaders, Ted Kennedy swam off and left a defenseless young girl to drown and not only covered it up he tried to get someone to take the blame for him.
Patrick Leahy,releases classified material to the news media that so dearly love the Democrats. This information could have been responsible for getting hundreds of our operatives over seas murdered.
Lets not forget Ted Kennedy and John Kerry who directed millions for Boston.s "Big Dig". Yes the same Kerry who tried to beat the draft and after getting it put off once tried again and when he couldnt he joined the Navy and got himself what may have been three self caused wounds so he wouldnt have to stay over there. Remember he only stayed four months and came home and aided and abetted the enemy from our soil.
Tom Daschle who's wife can lobby Congress and use his influence to direct Billions to special interest.
Hillary Clinton who had and probably still has operatives within the FBI and the White House who takes and creates files on American citizens and in my opinion could quite well use them for blackmail.
Bill Clinton whom in my opinion sanctioned forever in America the lying under oath and oral sex.
And the great Democrat Senate that had their Victory Parade down Pennsylvania Ave and beat on their chest showing America how the system could be manipulated.
They put the system up there for the world to see and their liberal ideas have created a monster that is almost out of control.
Hell, there morals are and were no different than Hitler. The difference is they can manipulate the system and Congress answers to no one and the Republican are complicit in a lot of what goes on.

[Swiss]

Has a Sec. of Defence ever resigned over a situation like this? I mean I recall Marines raping a Japanese Girl on Okanawa a few years ago. The air force jet killing those civilians on the ski lift in Italy. Bombing of a civilian convoy, hospital and Chinese Embassy in Serbia. Tailhook and the USS Iowa explosion and coverup.

Even Mi Li/Lt Calley episode in Vietnam along with Kent State did the Defense Sec resign? Honesty I don't know.

[cousair]

The press has made other attempts to upstage and unseat Rummy and failed and they will this time also. He is the best bull dog along with Cheney we have, and thank goodness for the likes of him. He held himself in check yesterday, and came out with a masterfull performance. McCain tried and nearly unleashed him, but Rummy is made of sterner stuff. This is nothing more that a run at President Bush, and without the pictures, the lib Senators wouldn't have even lifted an eyelash. The DNC will go after anything they can with the hope they can gain the power back. They politicize this war everyday...and our troops in harms way know it. That is the campaign issue that will sell because it is true.

[Missouri]

Last night we had turned this poll around in Rumsfields favor by a 2 to 1 margin. But as of this morning we're losing. Any help freeping this poll would be great.

Link to poll on Rumsfield

Scroll down a little and the poll is on the right.

[texasflower]

Yes and they ended up showing us EXACTLY why the dems are lousy with defense.

They refuse to stand with the military at the first sign of trouble.

They deserve that reputation.

[skinkinthegrass]

THanks...excellent post. :))

[cousair]

Here Here!! I totally agree!!

[texasflower]

I have a theory that I would like to run past someone.

Are you going to be online for awhile?

I have to run my daughter to work, but I'll be back in about 30 minutes.

[texasflower]

Don't worry, it's not some bizarre conspiracy theory or anything!

[joesbucks]

I can't sit back and sit silent.

Yes, this is much ado about a group of incidents. But it is so much deeper than just the surface "we're at war." In Saddam's mind, he too was at war and terminated those who dated oppose him. So let's cut the crap. We are a more civil society and while at war, our objective is to win, is it at any cost.

In addition, had these same events happened under a democratic administration, the same cry for accountability and resignations would have been heard from conservatives and seen on this forum. I'm talking the same circumstances. So why is it so bad when Rumsfeld's head is called for when in fact we would be calling for (shutter) President Gore's sec'y of defense under the same circumstances and conditions?

This must play out and no amount of armchair quaterbacking from either side of the aisle is going to solve the problem.