Posted on 02/03/2005 11:41:59 PM PST by Stultis
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that Sunday's historic elections in Iraq have ignited a "tipping of support for the government" by Iraqis now more willing to help security forces defeat insurgents.
[**snip, snip**]
Mr. Rumsfeld and his top aide, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, also rebutted charges from two prominent Iraq policy critics -- Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.
[**skipping Rumsfeld on "tipping," Wolfowitz on insurgency**]
[...] Mr. Biden also said several times [at Condi's hearings] that there are only 4,000 trained Iraqi security forces.
But Mr. Rumsfeld yesterday showed a picture of Iraqis defending a polling place. He said each of 5,000 polling stations was guarded by two rings of local forces.
"So the people who say there's only 4,000 Iraqi security forces, they must have done a whale of a job if they covered 5,000 polling places and had two rings around," he said. "Anyone can say anything they want, but facts are facts."
[**snip, snip**]
[...] Yesterday, [Senator Swimmer] asked Mr. Wolfowitz, "We want to know when the Iraqis are going to go out there and shed their blood, as American servicemen, with this amount of training, are willing to shed theirs? "
The deputy responded that 1,342 Iraqi soldiers and police have died fighting the insurgents. "The level of intimidation is extraordinary," Mr. Wolfowitz said. "And [the Iraqis] are facing it bravely. They are shedding their blood."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I saw this exchange, but FOX didn't show Kennedy again after Wolfowitz put him in his place.
I still find it incredible that Kennedy didn't have those facts available to him - somebody on his staff either was not doing their job - or Kennedy was given the information and chose to try to embarrass the admin anyway.
when will these jokers quit trying to play poker with the Bush team?
"they covered 5,000 polling places and had two rings around,"
That might be a tad off.....I recall on the day of the vote that the allies were holding the outer most ring and the Iraqi's the innermost ring.
Still............you go Rummy.
Only 40,000 Iraqi troops are combat-ready, Congress told
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/210718_troops04.html
I still find it incredible that Kennedy didn't have those facts available to himI do believe he is deranged. Like Al Gore, he no longer has a firm grasp of reality.
He's a lot like a water balloon. The common sense part has been squeezed small and a big bulge has occurred in the mouth part.
Anybody got a pin?
"I still find it incredible that Kennedy didn't have those facts available to him"
He likely did. He cannot be trusted.
kennedy and his "followers" are trying to do to America what they did in VietNam. I don't understand their thinking, other than they want the people of Iraq to return to the despotism they experieced for 30 some years, before America helped them get rid of the despot. Do they dislike America and the American way so much, they would like to see her slip into the crevasse of despotism?
BTW, Mosul's turnout may have topped 80%.
Their "thinking" boils down to this:
Purity of motive (when the president has an "R" after his name) is more important than practical results. America's motives are not utterly pure (as is always the case when the president has an "R" after his name) so it is of overriding importance that America fail in its aims and thereby be chastised and corrected. If millions must be butchered or enslaved as a collateral effect then (so long as they're black or brown, or little third-worlders who no one will really make a terrible fuss over anyway) than so be it. It's a price they're willing to (have others) pay.
Yeah .. it's really disconcerting to have people like that making laws and judging others.
Is anyone else fed up with the democrat party giving aid and comfort to our enemies, and providing them with more propaganda? Don't our troops have a tough enough job, without having to deal with prominent members of one of our 2 major political parties making public statements that deliberately paint a negative false impression of our military, and their progress in Iraq?
Want to know how I wish Rumsfeld would have responded to the "shouldn't you resign?" question of Traitor Ted Kennedy?
I wish Rummy would have said: "Shouldn't YOU resign Ted, for giving comfort to our enemies? You just sat here and crapped all over our military men and women. You gave them no credit whatsoever for the tremendous work they have done in Iraq. You made false statements that most likely will be used to encourage the insurgency. I'll resign when you do, Traitor Ted.
I'm fed up with the rats getting away with this stuff. It does encourage the enemy. Durbin's statements ended up on Al Jeezera. That is an absolute outrage. Durbin could never make up for the damage that's already been done. He should be expelled from the Senate.
The Republican's need to take a lesson from the dems, and call their own hearings to look into what effect the false and misleading statements of the dems are having on our war effort, and troop morale. Make the a##holes answer for their lies and exaggerations that end up on Al Jeezera.
I don't think it's a coincidence that insurgent attacks seem to go up at the same rate as dems calling our troops Nazi's, saying Iraq's a quagmire, and complaining about Gitmo, and false Newsweek reports about Koran flushing, go up. Not saying it's the sole reason for the attacks increasing, but, it's not helping at all.
Note to the Republicans- the reason dems keep doing these things is because YOU let them do it. And they are going to keep on sabotaging the War on Terror, if you don't stop them. You are the only ones who can protect our troops, from their (dem's) mindless propaganda, being used by the enemy to further their aims. The troops have enough to deal with already.
Tell it like it is. Stop trying to save the democrats from themselves. Don't cover for them, or downplay what they've done. They will NEVER extend the same to you.
Every citizen should be made aware of how much democrats are willing to sacrifice i.e. the WOT, the well being of our troops, safety of our citizens, exc.., in order to gain political power. This is a major factor that needs to be considered when a person is voting for who they trust to be in charge.
Actually you're responding to an article that is nearly 5 months old. But then that's in itself an indication of how unchanging and relentless is the seditious rhetoric issuing from the 'Rat party.
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