The Donald Rumsfeld I know isn't the one you know

St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | Nov. 12, 2006 | Douglas J. Feith

[Tribune7]

bump

[La Enchiladita]

What are you talking about? Feith is already gone.

Douglas J. Feith, a professor at Georgetown University, served as undersecretary of defense for policy from 2001 to 2005.

[La Enchiladita]

Next?

Mr Cheney's closest allies have gone, says a former senior administration official. "He does not have the state department. He does not have the defence department or his chief of staff, Scooter Libby, who made him most effective. John Bolton is still there, but at the United Nations. Doug Feith has gone. Paul Wolfowitz has gone and now Rumsfeld has gone. These were all the people he worked with."

Financial Times: Mid-term hunting trip suggests Cheney prefers duck shooting to lame duck future

[Gondring]

Well, we have retrained many of our troops in Special Ops, prior to deployment to Iraq. But the fact is, we don't have a large Active Duty Special Ops contingent (only one unit, IIRC, at Ft. Bragg), and if we are going to be doing these sorts of missions, you're right, we definitely need to transform our military in that way, too!

[x]

Probably not. Here's the Don Rumsfeld Feith knows:

"Doug Feith, of course, is without question, one of the most brilliant individuals in government. He is – he’s just a rare talent. And from my standpoint, working with him is always interesting. He’s been one of the really the intellectual leaders in the administration in defense policy aspects of our work here." -- Donald Rumsfeld

But wait, there's more:

Years from now, unfortunately it may be many years, accurate accounts of what’s taking place these past four years will be written and it will show that Doug Feith has performed his duties with great dedication, with impressive skill and with remarkable vision during this perilous and indeed momentous period in the life of our country.-- Donald Rumsfeld

With praise and support like that, is it any surprise Feith feels the same way about Rummy?

[Cheburashka]

He destroyed the Army. He transformed the Army to a concoction of boutique brigades without adequate artillery support, suited to fight small actions only and little prepared to face the huge Chinese Army and another North Korean Army.
---
I don't know where you see us fighting the huge Chinese Army. Taiwan? The Taiwanese are going to have to provide most of the manpower for that. The ChiComs don't have the transport capacity to put a huge army on Taiwan. We will supply air and naval support.

The North Koreans? Same thing for the South Koreans. The only thing we should be providing is Naval and Air Force support. And if you're expecting a Chinese Army there, you have to explain why the Chinese will risk a huge army to give Chiahead a bigger playground. What would they get out of that that they can't get already from South Korea?

Siberia? The Russians don't seem to think anything's coming their way. And they're trying to undercut us in every way they can. So it's their problem.

Some people are bent out of shape over the cancellation of the Crusader artillery system, what, four years ago? It sounded real nifty, just the thing to break up Soviet tank army assaults in Europe. Only problem, no Soviet tank armies exist. So there's no use for it. I don't see the value of paying $11 billion for equipment and then leaving it to rust on Army bases.

We're in a different war, it requires different weapons. His job is Secretary of Defense, not Santa Claus.

[Quix]

Thanks.

Am not surprised.

Great for the truer picture.

[baa39]

and the sexiest

[Incorrigible]

 

 

[Cheburashka]

The de-baathification and de-nazification are not comparable.
---
They are exactly comparable. You have to break up the political ties in the old Iraqi Army. That's the only way you break up old habits of obedience, old ways of doing things. Otherwise evetyone's standing around waiting for the Americans to leave, whereupon things will return to "normal".

Separate Sunni and Shiite security forces may or may not have been a good idea, but the old Iraqi Army would have had to have been dissolved anyway.

Another thing I remember is that the Kurds demanded the abolition of the Baathist army, or they wanted their own state.

[jan in Colorado]

The DUmmies want the terrorists to win.

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it with my own ears. I have worked in Boulder the past few weeks with the absentee ballots, and I have been left speechless(NEVER happens) by things I overheard them say. The hatred they have for this Country and this President is unfathomable. It isn't just Cindy Sheehan and the far left that hates this Country MORE than they hate the terrorists. My heart is still in denial of this, even though I now know it is true. I feel like I did on 9/11...

[NordP]

I sat next to a former Marine on an airline ride and asked him what was the big deal about Rumsfeld. He told me that although he had great respect for the man; Rumsfeld was attempting to make the military run like a business, and that it couldn't be done. He said that Rumsfeld didn't seem to respect the "social" elements of the military.

I looked at him with a shocked face and said, "SOCIAL???" He said words to the effect that the branches of the military weren't formed to work together as one, and that each had their own budget and power. No branch wanted to lose in either category.

I flat out told him that from a civilian's point of view (and I realize that doesn't hold any water) that I saw Rumsfeld as a SUPER hard working, character driven, strive for the very best for America, TOTAL Patriot with a schedule that I couldn't even BEGIN to undertake at 20 some years his junior. I told him that I had nothing but the utmost respect and awe for the man, and I felt this way before, but that our conversation confirmed my beliefs that as far as how most of them dealt with Rumsfeld, the VIPs of the various branches of the military were working with their OWN interests at heart, and NOT that of the Country they swore to protect...TOGETHER.

I held back other thoughts, because I owe a great deal to our military and their individual sacrifices on our behalf. I would part ways with them about Rumsfeld; because in THIS case I think many top military guys are acting like the Senators we've lost respect for, when it comes to their "earned power."

NordP

[ArtyFO]

And what are we going to use to fight Iran, our reserves and the national guard? More air strikes, I guess, or maybe the Littoral Navy. We can't even close off our southern border.

[NordP]

Oh...and one more thing...

I just made a sign for my car window. It reads:

MY MESSAGE TO THE MILITARY

ALL AMERICANS AREN'T:

Self-Centered,

Impatient, and

Short-Sighted.

THE REST OF US VOTED REPUBLICAN!

[NordP]

To that I say:

...AND, Don Rumsfeld is the type of boss that when you do your work well, he doesn't have a problem letting you know about it.

When was the last time YOU had a boss like THAT???

Add this to the list of great things about the man!

[La Enchiladita]

Thanks for the insight, NordP. I salute SECDEF Rumsfeld for what he accomplished and what he tried to accomplish. We will never have a SECDEF close to his likes again. This is not just sad, but frightening. We are losing our militancy.

Enough already with the petty bickering and posturing among the branches. What a disappointment. The brass needs to go back to boot camp.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Here's another great thing to add: According to reports I've read, Rumsfeld TRIED to resign several months ago, but Bush wouldn't accept it. Rummy is smart enough, and politically savvy enough to know that he was becoming too much of a symbol..

Had he left 5 months ago, I'm virtually certain the Rep's would still hold the Senate at least, and maybe the House..

I've been a W supporter for a long time.. but, his mis- handling of Rumsfeld will be hard for me to forget.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Here's another great thing to add: According to reports I've read, Rumsfeld TRIED to resign several months ago, but Bush wouldn't accept it. Rummy is smart enough, and politically savvy enough to know that he was becoming too much of a symbol..

Had he left 5 months ago, I'm virtually certain the Rep's would still hold the Senate at least, and maybe the House..

I've been a W supporter for a long time.. but, his mis- handling of Rumsfeld will be hard for me to forget.

[ntnychik]

ping

[ac-rep]

I don't think there's any country on earth that could have accomplished what we did in Iraq and Afghanistan in so short a time and with so few casualties.I served in Iraq myself and I can say that our victory there was and is overwhelming despite what the media says.This country owes alot to Donald Rumsfield