Soldier Asks Rumsfeld Where U.S. Solidarity Has Gone

American Forces Press Service ^ | Jim Garamone

[SandRat]

MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 10, 2006 -- A soldier in Mosul told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld he was worried because the American people seemed to have lost the combined will they had immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The secretary, who visited Iraq to thank the troops before he steps down from office, allowed that this is true. “In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the American people came together and were united in their concern about our country,” he said.

But in the years since, there have been no big land, sea or air battles that grab the attention of the American people, Rumsfeld said. The battle against a shadowy enemy is much more complex and less familiar than any conflict America has been involved with before, he explained.

He said the United States has also been fortunate that there hasn’t been another attack on the scale of Sept. 11 in the country. The farther removed some people get from the events of Sept. 11, the more the cohesion and solidarity the American people felt during that period dissipates, Rumsfeld said.

Part of the reason this feeling has dissipated is because there have been no more attacks in the United States. There have been terror attacks in other parts of the world – Madrid, London, Bali and Russia, to name just a few.

The war on terror, Rumsfeld said, is like the Cold War. During the Cold War, public opinion ebbed and flowed. “Millions of people demonstrated against the United States, not against the Soviet Union,” he said. “They acted as if the Soviet Union wasn’t one of the most repressive regimes in history. People were granting moral equivalence to the Soviet Union – a vicious dictatorship – in the free countries of Western Europe and the United States. People can drift off.”

The same is true today, Rumsfeld said. There are many who believe that governments can negotiate with terrorists or who believe if just left alone, they will somehow leave freedom-loving people alone. But that is not possible, Rumsfeld said. “The dangers today, the lethality of the weapons today, the risks to our country, are real,” he said.

A tabletop exercise a few years ago posited a release of smallpox in two airports in the United States. The simulation showed that inside of a year, almost 1 million people would die, Rumsfeld said.

“There are dangers, there are real people out there – as you well know – who will put in place a small number of clerics that will tell everyone how they will live and how they will behave,” he said. “And that’s not what we’re about.”

But overall, the United States and its allies weathered the Cold War. The countries stuck together and today the Soviet Union is no more. “Our country would not be here if we didn’t have the ability to ride through some ups and downs in respect to opinion and come out the other end having made some right decisions,” Rumsfeld said. “I expect the same today.”

[smoothsailing]

I've been out of the loop for a while. I thought I was on your ping list, apparently not. Could you please add me?

In Brotherhood...

Smooth

[unkus]

Thanks for all you do.

[darkwing104]

American solidarity has gone the way of the McDonald's mentality. Most Americans expect results, now, we have become spoiled by fast food restaurants, Overnight Delivery, instant messaging. etc.

American expected a quick results, when the MSM and the Rats harp on the slow results and negativism the me-now American culture is just getting impatient and just want to quit before the Iraqis themselves have a chance to run their own country. It's the same bunch of selfish twits who voted in the rats expecting immediate change.

[SandRat]

You're on it now.

[ripley]

"soldier asks where u.s. solidarity has gone."

fellah, it went down the drain with the election of the treacherous swine of the democrat party with the willing help of their propaganda arm...the mainstream media, not to mention the gullible, stupefied american electorate who have been indoctrinated into little red sheep.

[Just A Nobody]

As always, thanks for the ping SandRat and your dedication in getting the FR War News posted!

A soldier in Mosul told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld he was worried because the American people seemed to have lost the combined will they had immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

After 5 years of Turban durbin calling them nazis, jonFcarry calling them stupid and terrorists, al-Murthawi calling them cold blooded killers and NOT ONE CONgresscritter standing up to their "colleagues" and demanding censure, I am worried too.

Thank you Secretary Rumsfeld for your service to our country and your dedication to our heroes!
Pray for our Troops and their Commander-in-Chief!

[dyed_in_the_wool]

I want a reprise of "Monte Casino" on Sadar City.

Then you know nothing about history. The assault on Monte Cassino was one of the costliest battles in terms of men and material, however, it never saw the requisite coordinate attack it required and was of little strategic value to the Germans who could maintain attack positions despite intense bombing culminating in the destruction of the empty cathedral. Read Matthew Parker's excellent book titled 'Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II'.

Personally, I would prefer we reprise Hiroshima or Nagasaki on Sadr City, but with our troops nearby, use a Daisy Cutter instead.

[ellery]

Rummy bump. I'm still angry that W. let this hero go. We need him.

[BnBlFlag]

I don't believe there was all that much solidarity even after 9-11. The leftists were forced into silence by the majority of the American people but they were back sniping within a matter of months.

[Just A Nobody]

Taking swipes at their Commander-in-Chief does not help our troops! The overwhelming majority of them adore him.

This thread is about our soldiers worried about solidarity and support from home and all you can do is take a swing at their C-i-C. I'm sure those that are reading this thread feel much better now.

[CheyennePress]

I assume there is some kind of standard or sworn silence by military personnel when addressing the press.

We keep hearing that the media is not representing things accurate, we keep hearing calls to bring our boys home (when every single one of them volunteered to do exactly what they're doing and knew full-well what lay ahead), and yet we never hear about the opinions of the troops.

We never hear how they would vote in the upcoming election.

I guess what I'm curious about is whether that's the media hiding that, or whether it's a military policy to avoid the press.

[pandemoniumreigns]

Hey Sand...

I seem to recall Rummy saying 2 or 3 yrs ago that he expected this to be a long hard slog...I don't think he thought it would be at this stage now... problem is that the american expect imediate results...

I really like Rumsfeld and thank him for his service...I was glad to hear on Hannity this afternoon that he got standing O's everwher he went

[uncbob]

I was glad to hear on Hannity this afternoon that he got standing O's everwher he went

and of course the MSM covered it

[pandemoniumreigns]

Wouldn't know...((;O)

[OldFriend]

Don't ignore the harm that the right wing pundits did to this President, day in and day out. They aided and abetted the enemies of our country, our troops, and our allies.

[Thumper1960]

Those Cut and Run "conservatives" are brushing up on their French.

[Zechariah11]

Don't ignore the harm that the right wing pundits did to this President, day in and day out. They aided and abetted the enemies of our country, our troops, and our allies.

Too many quislings on the Right undermining the base of support for the President -- the libertarians, the Al Rantels, the Joe Scarboroughs, Wm Buckleys, Pat Buchanans, the VERY arrogant GOP senators -- made it all come crashing down. Then Bush got wobbly and fired Rumsfeld --total weakness. The USA is just a paper tiger.

Bush should have quit before he fired Rumsfeld.

[ellery]

You're right; I apologize and will try to keep my comments about the issue off these particular threads.

God bless our troops.

[Eagle Forgotten]

I am of the opinion that President Bush fired Don Rumsfeld.

Why do you say "opinion"? I don't think there's any doubt that it was Bush's decision. He probably foresaw tremendous problems in trying to deal with the new Congress with Rumsfeld still in office, so Rumsfeld had to take one for the team.

[OldFriend]

Take one......it was a gift to allow Rumsfeld to leave.

Would you have preferred him held hostage by those America hating creatures in the congress and senate. They would have had him answering questions every day of the week. Grandstanding and making outrageous accusations.

If the turncoats hadn't helped the dems win the election we could have Rumsfeld till the end of the President's term.

Well, I hope all the 'I told you so' a$$e$ are happy now.