Posted on 04/13/2006 10:03:19 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham
excerpt
M. O'BRIEN: And then he(Batiste) went on to say he thinks Secretary Rumsfeld should step down. What do you say to that?
DELONG: ... Dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld is like dealing with a CEO. When you walk in to him, you've got to be prepared. You've got to (know) what you're talking about. If you don't, you're summarily dismissed, but that's the way it is, and he's effective.
excerpt
M. O'BRIEN: General, to sum it up. If I had to sum up the criticism it seems to me what people are saying is there's an arrogance and almost a cavalier nature of the way this war has -- was thought out initially. And as a result what that really did was, more than anything else, put not enough troops on the ground. Would you go along with that?
DELONG: No, I disagree. If we could have gotten more troops on the ground, we would have, but we couldn't come through Turkey. We had one small hole to get through. That was up through Kuwait. And we got as many troops on the ground as fast as we could.
M. O'BRIEN: Final thought, is Secretary Rumsfeld arrogant?
DELONG: I don't know if I'd use the word "arrogant." He's very sure of himself. And if you're not sure of himself, I guess you may consider him arrogant. But if you walk and know what you're talking about, you can have a very pleasant, professional conversation with the man.
(Excerpt) Read more at transcripts.cnn.com ...
An old boss of mine (several layers removed).
I see the book has an introduction by Anthony Zinni, one of the generals who has recently been critical of the handling of the war. Maybe Zinni was one of those generals who Rumsfeld "dismissed" because he wasn't prepared to talk nuts and bolts with Rummy.
Rumsfeld just needs cultural sensitivity training. You know how sensitive those Generals are these days.
He said it al "You better know what your talking about when you go in front of the man" My idea of any boss!!!!!!!
In short, Rumsfeld does not suffer fools gladly at DOD. Period - and why should he - peoples' lives are at stake, in the country and among the troops. Of course he has to make an exception to that rule for the press corps -- where he is bucking for sainthood!!
My brother, a captain in the National Guard, recently returned from Iraq. His unit, which provided security for convoys originating in Kuwait and traveling to any and all parts of Iraq, had one casualty — a soldier who lost an arm to an IED.
While at Walter Reed, the injured soldier was having a conversation with a general and mentioned — somewhat in jest — that he wanted Rumsfeld to deliver his Purple Heart.
Well, the next day, who shows up in his hospital room — without security or photogs — but Rumsfeld? Rummy sat and talked with the soldier and his mother, who happened to be there, for about 45 minutes.
My brother says that the vast majority of the soldiers would crawl through broken glass for either Bush or Rumsfeld. What Rumsfeld did for that soldier — that simple act of kindness — was heartfelt. It cannot make up for the loss of a limb, but it says something about the secretary of defense and how he thinks about the men who serve under him.
Source:
http://www.nationalreview.com/impromptus/nordlinger200604030737.asp
Even at my low level within a major corporation, I'm expected to know what I'm talking about when I speak to my boss about operations. If I don't, my manager will show me the door and tell me not to come back until I have the answers. And to quit wasting his time! Guess I should write book talking about what an incompetent jerk he is ... or accept that I wasn't prepared and take the rebuke like an adult.
This is what I've been saying all along. It's Powell's fault for losing Turkey as a base for a Northern front.
-PJ
Zinni retired in August of 2000.
Hard for me to believe Lt. Gen Delong a MARINE, is so PC!!
the media wants Rummy to have
S pecial
H igh
I ntensity
T raiing
Show me a Commanding Officer of any Ground/Air/Sea Command who doesn't operate the same way, and I'll show you someone who will loose their command in very short order.
Zinni was canned because he is a raving loony Clintonite that thinks the military should become all hearts and minds. He simply sold out to the "Peace Now" crowd and was a risk in a command slot. Like most Clintonites, he confused politicals with military duties. Not acceptable.
Zinni retired cause he was a loose cannon who was on his way out. Think of him as Wesley Clark Jr
I said in 2001 when Bush came to office that the first thing that should be done in the DOD was to cashier the entire JCS and most of the immediate subordinates. The majority of them were clinton buttboys and would be trouble if not dealt with. There were plenty of Lieutenant Colonels through brigadiers who could have been bumped up and easily taken the reigns without bringing along their political agendas.
The same should have happened within the State Department, Justice Department and the civilian side of DOD.
But DIDn'T.. The Clinton legacy lives on..
How do I post a pic?
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