Posted on 08/29/2006 11:04:16 AM PDT by Coop
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday accused critics of the Bush administration's Iraq and counterterrorism policies of lacking the courage to fight terror.
In unusually explicit terms, Rumsfeld portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral and intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security.
In remarks prepared for delivery to the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failed efforts to appease the Adolf Hitler regime in the 1930s.
"I recount this history because once again we face the same kind of challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism" he said.
Rumsfeld spoke to an American Legion convention as part of a coordinated White House strategy...
Rumsfeld... said it should be obvious to anyone that terrorists must be confronted, not appeased.
"But it is apparent that many have still not learned history's lessons," he said, adding that part of the problem is that the American news media have tended to emphasize the negative rather than the positive.
He said, for example, that more media attention was given to U.S. soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib than to the fact that Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
What did he say to or about the Beast? Thanks for your reply.
At a public Senate Armed Services Committee meeting that Clinton insisted on, she went into an extended rant to Rumsfeld about what a terrible job he's done. When she finally finished, the fist words out of Rumsfeld's mouth were "My, my." It was hilarious.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1677458/posts
Now, there's a headline that I can agree with. No doubt the AP editor or reporter who came up with the headline thought that it would result in howls of derision and criticism from the American people. While you may hear howls from the usual suspects (for example, look for John Kerry's head to explode), most people reading it will nod their heads in agreement...
I think he's being extreeeeeemly diplomatic. The Dems/libs are fanatics that seek the destruction of this Republic as ardently as the Islamo fascists.
(for a clear definition of a fanatic see my profile page)
Here's the piece I meant to give you and he said "My goodness, not my my.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1681148/posts
Thanks, I remember that.
Generals Pace and Abazaid were livid too. What a witch.
Go Rummy!
Oh my..there is that word "fascism" again. Wonder who will be crying for an apology this time.
Thanks for the thread Coop.
Good one!
Good one!
While Dubya did indeed use the term before last week, it certainly does appear to be a concerted strategy now to use and stress this term. Fine by me!!
Rummy is always "explicit". Its part of his charm and I find it very appealing. Guess it was his use of the words "moral" and "intellectual" that chapped the AP. LOL
Sgt. Smith was richly deserving of the medal.
This is why I like Rumsfeld. He tells it like it is, in no uncertain terms.
CNN Transcript -Soldier Who Gave Life to Save Others Awarded Medal of Honor
At the White House, a different kind of memorial this hour as President Bush presents the Medal of Honor to the family of Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith. Two years ago today, Smith gave his own life to protect scores of soldiers during a battle near the Baghdad airport. Smith's 11-year-old son, David, will accept the medal on his late father's behalf. We will go live to the ceremony just ahead.
The story of Paul Smith is a story of a boy transformed into a man and a leader. His friends and family will tell you that he joined the Army in 1989 after finishing high school. When he joined the Army, he was a typical young American. He liked sports. He liked fast cars. And he liked to stay out late with his friends, pursuits that occasionally earned him what the Army calls extra duty, scrubbing floors.
Two things would change Paul's life and lead him to the selfless heroism we honor today. The first would come when he was stationed in Germany and fell for a woman named Birgit Bacha (ph). Turns out that Paul had a romantic streak in him. On the first night he met her, Paul appeared outside Birgit's window singing, "You've Lost that Loving Feeling."
In 1992, the two married, and soon a young soldier became a devoted family man who played t-ball with his son and taught his daughter how to change the oil in his Jeep Cherokee.
Second great change in Paul's life would come when he was shipped to Saudi Arabia to fight in the first Gulf War. There, the young combat engineer learned that his training had a purpose and could save lives on the battlefield. Paul returned from that war determined that other soldiers would benefit from the lessons he had learned. Paul earned his sergeant stripes and became known as a stickler for detail.
We will have much more on Sergeant Ray's story, the heroic battle that he took part in -- Sergeant Smith's story, the heroic battle that he took part in to earn this prestigious honor. When we come back, Barbara Starr will have that story for us.
Soldier Who Gave Life to Save Others Awarded Medal of Honor -CNN
Bush awards Medal of Honor for Iraq duty - MSNBC
Sgt. Paul Smith died defending dozens of comrades in Baghdad Military mothers united by heroism, tragedy - MSNBC
Bush Gives Medal of Honor to Iraq War Hero - FOX NEWS
From a site mentioning ABC's coverage: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:u92n41kyVMcJ:www.geocities.com/pageiv71/iobc.html+Sgt.+1st+Class+Paul+Ray+Smith+ABC&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=51
On Monday, exactly two years after Smith's death, President Bush is awarding Smith the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. His widow, Birgit, decided that the couple's 11-year-old son, David, will accept the medal on his father's behalf. "It was a very easy decision for me because, after all, he's the man of the house now," she said Monday. She said she often hears from the men her husband saved, as well as their families. "They're so grateful for what Paul did that day," she said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Another site posted info of CBS reporting: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/prsmith-02.htm
CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith reports that the honor is so prestigious that Gen. George Patton once said he'd sell his immortal soul for that medal, and Harry Truman said he'd prefer it to being President.
But, notes Smith, that's the story of the medal. This is the story of the man.
Sergeant Smith was deployed at the tip of the spear. He fought with the first wave of soldiers driving north to Baghdad, whipped by sandstorms, surrounded by the thunder of unfinished battle.
That would be quite funny if it weren't so darned true.
>Jefferson would have surrendered to the terrorists quicker than his modern RAT descendents.<
According to your concept of history, you've GOT to be under 50. :o)
I've never thought of myself as a Bush foe, nor lacking courage on terror, but ...
If I'd had my way within moments of the 9-11 attacks, Iranians would have ample quantities of radioactive material all around them for centuries to come, our troops in the Middle East & the "World of Stan" would all have been issued ice skates to transverse the landscape, and glass would have been in very plentiful supply.
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