Posted on 12/23/2004 8:47:44 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
An uncharacteristically subdued Donald Rumsfeld tried yesterday to quell complaints he's insensitive to the sacrifice of G.I.s fighting and dying in Iraq.
"I am truly saddened by the thought that anyone could have the impression that I or others here are doing anything other than working urgently to see that the lives of the fighting men and women are protected and are cared for in every way humanly possible," the defense secretary said at the Pentagon.
"When I meet with the wounded, with their families, or with the families of those who have been lost, their grief is something I feel to my core," Rumsfeld added. "The strength of our military and of their families is amazing. ... It never fails to give me strength, to give me encouragement and to give me inspiration for the tasks ahead."
The normally combative and often prickly Rumsfeld seemed unusually emotional while defending himself.
In recent weeks, he has been hammered by critics, including prominent Republicans, for seeming to kiss off a soldier's question about the shortage of armor for vehicles in Iraq and for allowing the use of a mechanical autopen on condolence notes.
Asked if the brickbats have affected his ability to do his job, Rumsfeld replied, "You get up in the morning and you think about what our troops are doing, and I must say, if they can do what they're doing, I can do what I'm doing."
It's one thing the give constructive criticism, it's a whole 'nuther thing to just condemn and tear down. 99.44% of what has been dished out on Bush, Rumsfeld is sadly of the latter category.
Shew... A REAL man. I see why the President thinks so much of him.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1307217/posts
Victor Davis Hanson: Leave Rumsfeld Be, He is not to blame for our difficulties
NRO ^ | 12/23/2004 | Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 12/23/2004 8:15:14 AM CST by Tolik
We’ll regret it if Rumsfeld goes.
Oh, please....you joined today to dump on this American patriot?
You signed up today to say this? Let me ask you as question, troll, do you think Robert McNamara signed 58,000 letters?
I am so hoping that the time for bashing Rumsfeld is just about over and that they find someone else to pick on!!
Me too. Wanna take bets on who the next pile-on target will be? I think after the new year (with her confirmation hearing coming up), it will be Condi.
I am going to cal McCains and Hagels office and express my EXTREME disgust at their public criticism of Mr Rumsfeld while this nation is at war. These hateful remarks are both demoralizing to the troops who have put their lives on the line for us as well as encouraging to the enemy who can only view this as dissension among our leaders and a prelude to us self destructing. I urge all of you to do the same. Let these fools know we will not put up with this outrage.
What I find outrageous is that people, presumably with straight faces, can vent outrage over ink vs. type while we have terrorists killing our citizens, blowing our planes out of the sky, and trying to obtain WMDs.
It's still outrageous that I am so ignorant.
You and your ilk are the outrageous ones. You aren't fit to wipe Rumsfeld's boots. Merry Christmas!
To have representatives of the same d@mned group of cretins who made crank calls to the families of soldiers in Afghanistan, telling them their sons and daughters had been killed in action when they hadn't now claim that someone else is "insensitive" to human suffering makes me BEYOND SICK.
These are the SAME PEOPLE people who DEFEND the atrocities of animals like bin Laden, Saddam, Yasser, Castro, Chevez, Mugabe and mothers who hunt their shildren down one by one so they can drown them in the bathtub...they are the LEAST qualified scum on the planet to make moral judgements against a man whom all evidence shows is genuinely capable, competent, of good moral character, sound mind, sound judgement and is doing absolutely the best job possible under the worst possible conditions.
What was the thinking behind the letters in the first place?
Did you get your hair problem "straight"ened out?
Clueless 16-year old boy needs hair straightening help!
I assume it's the same guy, judging from his maturity level :)
Rumsfeld is the best and he will weather this crap too!
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