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Rumsfeld has to go, for Bush's sake
University Daily (Texas Tech U.) ^ | 6/2/04 | Jason Rhode

Posted on 06/03/2004 10:40:27 AM PDT by NorCoGOP

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Because of the tortures and murders at the Abu Ghraib prison, Donald Rumsfeld must resign. He must leave his position as U.S. Secretary of Defense for the good of his boss, his war, his department and his country. And if he does not, Bush must fire him, which would be a rare demonstration for this administration of the rule that officials are responsible for their wrong actions. Mr. President: there comes a time when blind loyalty, however pigheaded, comes to a fault. That time is now.

Sticking by your dad's friends is high virtue, but when this individual (A) deserves the boot, and (B) damages the administration and nation's credibility while in office, walking papers are required. Like crazy Old Yeller, who was loyal and faithful but eventually dangerous, Donald Rumsfeld needs to be put down by his master.

But what for? Rumsfeld didn't order the war crimes at Abu Ghraib; he didn't condone them like Rush Limbaugh; rather, he publicly denounced them. And let us assume that it was sheer oversight on his part that Abu Ghraib -- a place of absolute evil and symbol for the Hussein regime in Iraq -- was not only not demolished but used to house Iraqi prisoners. Let us forget his dodging of the Geneva Convention, his shocking disregard for handling the unpleasant realities of the job. Perhaps Rumsfeld is a victim of the entire affair -- also tortured, but by the media. No matter. Rumsfeld must resign for two very simple reasons: It will show the world the right side of American character, and it is in line with our society's concept of personal responsibility. For the sake of not only preserving our values but also actively practicing them in front of the world, when we badly need proof that we're not self-righteous hypocrites: the secretary has to leave.

Iraqis and other Middle Easterners have grown up under brutal governments where the rulers did whatever evil they pleased and were not held responsible; they got away with more daily injustice than Donald Trump's toupee consultant. And now here come the Americans, saying things are different.

But boy, it sure doesn't look that way, does it? So much for winning over Iraqi hearts and minds. Rumsfeld, by staying right where he is, sends a message that our preaching of individual responsibility is a sham, that Bush's cronies are as above the law as Saddam was.

America celebrates the individual like no other nation. But the price of personal freedom is responsibility. We live in a country where editors of both The New York Times and USA Today resigned, not for any personal crime, but because lies had been told under their watch. That's all. I read those same papers and I see stories of CEOs and captains of industry who surrender administration, not because they had overlooked murder, rapes, and beatings, but because their underlings stole vast sums of money. If we apply this high standard to the rest of our country, why wouldn't we put it to the man right below the president? Rumsfeld is not directly responsible, but he helped to create the culture in which Abu Ghraib flourished. And he has told us there is worse to come. Given that he has known of it since he woke up at the wheel in January, I take him at his word. He knows this, yet shamelessly, he remains.

Rumsfeld has already damned himself, and now he's damning the rest of us and every American soldier who has to walk a street in Baghdad or Tikrit at night. Mr. Rumsfeld, it's time for you to go.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abughraib; blahblahblah; iraqipow; rumsfeld
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To: McGruff

Oh, very good! Very good indeed. Thanks for that. And, BTW, this is coming from LUBBOCK? Disgusting.


41 posted on 06/03/2004 11:15:25 AM PDT by vandykelastone (Nuts to Governor Goober: let's get serious now!)
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To: NorCoGOP

"Because of the tortures and murders at the Abu Ghraib prison,..."

Humiliation and sleep deprivation aren't torture. This guy needs a dictionary. As for murders, why didn't he call for Rumsfeld ouster when that Islamic soldier hootched his buddy at the beginning of the war? Rumsfeld isn't responsisble for every nut job in the service. His/her immediate supervisor is.


"Donald Rumsfeld must resign. He must leave his position as U.S. Secretary of Defense for the good of his boss, his war, his department and his country."

??????? First Rumsfeld, then Bush gets impeached as his supervisor. THese libs must think we are brain-dead.

"And if he does not, Bush must fire him, which would be a rare demonstration for this administration of the rule that officials are responsible for their wrong actions. Mr. President: there comes a time when blind loyalty, however pigheaded, comes to a fault. That time is now."

A liberal is revealed by his diatribes. And id Rumsfled is responsible for the idiot who ran that prison, WHO is repsonsible for Rumsfeld?? I don't think Watergate will work a second time around, Libs.

"Sticking by your dad's friends is high virtue, but when this individual (A) deserves the boot, and (B) damages the administration and nation's credibility while in office, walking papers are required. Like crazy Old Yeller, who was loyal and faithful but eventually dangerous, Donald Rumsfeld needs to be put down by his master."

More liberal vindective. What damages our credibilty are people like Ted (Hiccup) "The Swimmer" making idiotic statements to the world press, which then quotes him as though he had a functioning brain.

"But what for? Rumsfeld didn't order the war crimes at Abu Ghraib; he didn't condone them like Rush Limbaugh; rather, he publicly denounced them. And let us assume that it was sheer oversight on his part that Abu Ghraib -- a place of absolute evil and symbol for the Hussein regime in Iraq -- was not only not demolished but used to house Iraqi prisoners. Let us forget his dodging of the Geneva Convention,"

????????? The Geneva Convention doesn't apply to terrorists.
This guy is a real idiot, like most liberals.

" his shocking disregard for handling the unpleasant realities of the job."

????????? The military authoorities swiftly followed up on the situation. The guilty will be puinish or are being punished. Is he advocating "pre-emptive" justice??

" Perhaps Rumsfeld is a victim of the entire affair -- also tortured, but by the media. No matter. Rumsfeld must resign for two very simple reasons: It will show the world the right side of American character,"

No. It would be an unacceptable admission of guilt we are not responsible for and provide this author with more rocks to toss at the administation.


" and it is in line with our society's concept of personal responsibility. "

Go lecture Pelosi, Daschole, and Ted (Hiccup) "The Swimmer" about "personal responsibility".


"For the sake of not only preserving our values but also actively practicing them in front of the world, when we badly need proof that we're not self-righteous hypocrites: the secretary has to leave."


Talk about self-righteous. That's the liberals' middle name.

"Iraqis and other Middle Easterners have grown up under brutal governments where the rulers did whatever evil they pleased and were not held responsible; they got away with more daily injustice than Donald Trump's toupee consultant."

Now some capitalist bashing. By Middle Eastern Standards, why wnet on in Abu Ghrabid was a sorority romp.


" And now here come the Americans, saying things are different."

They are. Haven't you noticed???

"But boy, it sure doesn't look that way, does it? So much for winning over Iraqi hearts and minds. Rumsfeld, by staying right where he is, sends a message that our preaching of individual responsibility is a sham, that Bush's cronies are as above the law as Saddam was."

We didn't spill American blood and American money to remake Iraq for the benefit of the IRaqi people. We did it because of 9-1-1 and to protect US. If the Iraqis benefit as a consequnce, asa they appear to be, so much the better. But that's NOT why we went there.

"America celebrates the individual like no other nation."

Yeah. As long as that individual is a half-crocked liberal with an outrageous minority opinion.

" But the price of personal freedom is responsibility."

Strange talk from a liberal - "personal responsibility" The price of freedom is ALSO being willing to FIGHT for it.


"We live in a country where editors of both The New York Times and USA Today resigned, not for any personal crime, but because .."

Their bosses were worried about sales and credibility. These guys just did what everybody else in the liberal mainstream media does - lie and distort. They just happened to have been caught.

" That's all. I read those same papers and I see stories of CEOs and captains of industry who surrender administration, not because they had overlooked murder, rapes, and beatings, but because their underlings stole vast sums of money. If we apply this high standard to the rest of our country, why wouldn't we put it to the man right below the president? "

Is the author of this peice smoking some strong stuff or what??

"Rumsfeld is not directly responsible, but he helped to create the culture in which Abu Ghraib flourished."

Duhhh. No. The atmosphere there wa created by liberals. By liberals who think women belong in combat. By liberals who teach "if it feels good do it" and "do your own thing". By liberals who think human reproduction is a varsity sport. By liberals who don't believe in teaching young people self-respect, respect for others and self-discipline.

And, by the way, despite ALL the above, the overwheliming number of American troops there don't od this. It represents an aberrant minority.

Like their Fuhrer, John Kerry, the liberal left is trying to paint ALL American fighting men and women with the same tarred brush which applies only to afew abberant individuals in ANY military establishment.

" And he has told us there is worse to come. Given that he has known of it since he woke up at the wheel in January, I take him at his word. He knows this, yet shamelessly, he remains."


Please!! How melodramatic!!

"Rumsfeld has already damned himself, and now he's damning the rest of us and every American soldier who has to walk a street in Baghdad or Tikrit at night. Mr. Rumsfeld, it's time for you to go."

No. Its people like this author and his master running for an Office he would stain as badly as Bush II's Predecessor who are doing all the blatant damming of American soldiers.


Only a College Paper would dare to print such drivel.





42 posted on 06/03/2004 11:18:04 AM PDT by ZULU (They weree)
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To: NorCoGOP

I'd like to see Rumsfeld replace Roosevelt on the dime!


43 posted on 06/03/2004 11:35:17 AM PDT by Solamente
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To: ZULU

"Donald Rumsfeld must resign"

I totally agree. Bush needs to have Carl Levin as the new SecDef. Powell can be replaced at state by Hillary and Ashcroft can be replaced with Jamie Gorelick.

Yeah that works...../sarcasm off

Now, Ashcroft moves over to CIA, Rudy becomes Attorney General. After the election, Powell will retire and Richard Meyers becomes the new SecState.


44 posted on 06/03/2004 11:38:51 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Only difference between the liberals and the Nazis is that the liberals love the Communists.)
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To: Dr. Marten

"Am I missing something here? I've only heard about abuse...abuse...abuse...abuse...abuse...abuse....."

Haven't you heard? Putting panties over your head will just kill you.



45 posted on 06/03/2004 11:40:09 AM PDT by River_Wrangler (Gun powder for me and a beer for my horse!)
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To: rdb3; Poohbah

Agreed. I will add one thing: I think Colin Powell should also stay in place.

Powell and Rumsfeld balance each other. If either were to leave, there would be an imbalance, and I do not think it would be a good thing. Bush gets good advice from both, he should keep both.

On the other hand, George Tenet's replacement should be Ollie North.


46 posted on 06/03/2004 11:56:37 AM PDT by hchutch ("Go ahead. Leave early and beat the traffic. The Milwaukee Brewers dare you." - MLB.com 5/11/04)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Even a Beirut newspaper is more objective than this clown, explicitly declaring the American Abu Ghraib "atrocities" to be a joke when compared to those committed by Saddam Hussein.

Yes, but we should hold ourselves to a higher standard than Saddam Hussein...
47 posted on 06/03/2004 12:02:43 PM PDT by Stone Mountain
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To: Stone Mountain
Yes, but we should hold ourselves to a higher standard than Saddam Hussein...

We did, Bozo.

48 posted on 06/03/2004 12:08:35 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Yes, but we should hold ourselves to a higher standard than Saddam Hussein... We did, Bozo.

Bozo, huh? Nice standards of discourse...

If you had taken the time to read the post I was replying to, you would have seen that I didn't say we held ourselves to a lower standard. I am saying that it is ridiculous to compare ourselves to Saddam Hussein and then say that we are better than him. It's like someone defending OJ Simpson by saying that hey, at least he didn't eat his victims like Jeffrey Dahmer.
49 posted on 06/03/2004 12:24:50 PM PDT by Stone Mountain
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To: Stone Mountain
If you had taken the time to read the post I was replying to, you would have seen that I didn't say we held ourselves to a lower standard. I am saying that it is ridiculous to compare ourselves to Saddam Hussein and then say that we are better than him. It's like someone defending OJ Simpson by saying that hey, at least he didn't eat his victims like Jeffrey Dahmer.

It's an f'ing war, and our guys are getting killed every single day.

We have shown tremendous restraint, and continue to do so.

Shove your "we should hold ourselves to a higher standard" where the sun don't shine.

50 posted on 06/03/2004 12:28:48 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
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To: Stone Mountain

And you posted your original reply to ME, otherwise I would not have bothered with you.


51 posted on 06/03/2004 12:29:59 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
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To: NorCoGOP

Who is this numbnuts? What murders? Total nonsense, this guy needs to be b!tchslapped.


52 posted on 06/03/2004 12:32:07 PM PDT by Citizen of the Savage Nation
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This is just a little Michael Moore wannabe at a second-tier college in Texas. He'll probably be beat up on that very conservative campus because someone else will demonstrate their freedom of expression visa viz his minority opinion.


53 posted on 06/03/2004 12:35:14 PM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: NorCoGOP
Because of the tortures and murders at the Abu Ghraib prison, Donald Rumsfeld must resign.

No need to read beyond this first sentence to know that this article is a load of crap.

54 posted on 06/03/2004 1:03:19 PM PDT by pgkdan
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To: Dane; Destro; TheCrusader; KeyWest; Cronos; RussianConservative

well what good would Bush be without rumsfeld and cheney?

rumsfeld and cheney are the brains of this administration

They are the people who make things happen and they're patriots to the bone.

Without them, this administration would be empty rhetoric.

The sworn enemies of america like the muslims and paranoics like the ADL don't like rummy and cheney, because these two leaders wouldn't sacrifice national interest for personal gain.

The fact that these two individuals are hated bythe enemies of america, shows just how good they are for america.

Tenet again was a partiot and a very able man incharge of an agency that had to rely on muslims for intelligence.

it was a tough job that he did very well.

with rummy, cheney and tenet gone, i would seriously worry about the future of this country.

hell i wouldnt vote GOP without these guys in there.


55 posted on 06/03/2004 1:53:12 PM PDT by jerrydavenport
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To: NorCoGOP; RussianConservative; Destro; TheCrusader; swarthyguy; KeyWest; LoudRepublicangirl

sacking rumsfelf is insane.

So we sack

the army secy

the treasury secy

the CIA chief

rumsfeld

cheney.

all in an apparent bid to clean the slate for bush

Do you even realize where you're putting the blame by firing all the people around him?..lol


56 posted on 06/03/2004 2:17:49 PM PDT by jerrydavenport
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
It's an f'ing war, and our guys are getting killed every single day. We have shown tremendous restraint, and continue to do so.

Where have I said that we hadn't? That's twice you missed the point I was making. Which is that it is ridiculous to compare ourselves to Saddam Hussein in order to claim some sort of moral high ground. I think we need to do better than that.

Shove your "we should hold ourselves to a higher standard" where the sun don't shine.

Wow, first, you call me Bozo, and now this. Apparently, you aren't able to discuss issues without personalizing them. Which is too bad. Free Republic gets dragged down by people like you who insult rather than attempt to enlighten. You don't have to agree with me or anyone here, but posting petty personal insults won't advance your viewpoint or gain you any support. If you want to make a point, try doing it without making it personal and see how much further you get.
57 posted on 06/03/2004 2:18:22 PM PDT by Stone Mountain
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To: Stone Mountain

Whatever.


58 posted on 06/03/2004 2:20:56 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
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To: jerrydavenport

The time for Rummy to resign is long gone.

When the scandal first broke, the wound could've been cauterized by Rummy falling on his sword and taking one for the country. Crisis mgmt by changing the topic.

Now, after Tenet, it'll look like desperate measures to absolve the responsibility of the NSC.

Anyway, as long as we don't freeze Saudi assets or get serious about the Pakis or occupy the Saudi oil fields, the jihadis get their money, training and weapons and the war on a tactic continues in the manner it's been going.


59 posted on 06/03/2004 2:21:59 PM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: NorCoGOP

Rumsfeld stays right where he is. Thank the Lord.


60 posted on 06/03/2004 2:23:23 PM PDT by Right_in_Virginia
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