McCain: Rumsfeld One Of Worst Secretaries Of Defense In History

ABC News ^ | Feb. 19, 2007 | AP

[FairOpinion]

Senator John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years.

He said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (news - bio) will be remembered as one of the worst to ever hold the job.

He said the United States is paying a heavy price for the mismanagement.

He said Rumsfeld never put enough troops on the ground to succeed in Iraq.

Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former Texas Senator Phil Gramm were at his side.

Both endorsed McCain over the weekend.

[gridlock]

Les Aspin should get that honor.

I dunno. Remember Bill Cohen with his five pound bag of flour on Meet The Press, expaining how if it were a bag of Anthrax, it would be enough to kill everybody in New York City, so we must bomb Saddam Hussein's Iraq forthwith?

[Blue State Insurgent]

See my tagline.

[AU72]

Aspin refused to equip the Somali mission with armored vehicles and that led to disaster that al-Queda took note of.

[Desperately Seeking Freedom]

I am truly disgusted that Gramm endorsed McCain. I supported Graham in his Presidential bid (1996)because he was (in his own words) for "less government and more freedom." Remember when Republicans believed this?

That Gramm would endorse McCain is mind boggling. The GOP is truly committing suicide. Which is the party of individual freedom and small government, now?

(sound of crickets chirping)

[RockinRight]

Hear that flushing sound, Senator?

Those were your Presidential chances going down the toilet.

[Irish Eyes]

I am disgusted with McCain and disappointed in Phil Gramm for supporting him.

I agree I am also disappointed in Frank Keating for supporting McCain.

[FairOpinion]

'Unilateral Disarmament' (McCain's "Terrorist Protection Bill")

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1542642/posts


Podhoretz's phrase--"a form of unilateral disarmament . . . in the face of a still intransigent enemy"--is an apt description of the McCain amendment, which will certainly not prompt any reciprocal moves by terrorists to abjure tactics like beheading civilians or flying planes into buildings.

---

Here is the text of McCain's Terrorist protection bill, placing terrorists captured and held ANYWHERE under the protection of the US CONSTITUTION, that they try to destroy and protecting them even from "degrading" treatment. They can murder us, but we can't even put panties on their heads.

----

SEC. __. UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR THE INTERROGATION OF PERSONS UNDER THE DETENTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

(a) IN GENERAL.--No person in the custody or under the effective control of the Department of Defense or under detention in a Department of Defense facility shall be subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the United States Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation.

(b) APPLICABILITY.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to with respect to any person in the custody or under the effective control of the Department of Defense pursuant to a criminal law or immigration law of the United States.

(c) CONSTRUCTION.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the rights under the United States Constitution of any person in the custody or under the physical jurisdiction of the United States.

SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT OF PERSONS UNDER CUSTODY OR CONTROL OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

(a) In General.--No individual in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose any geographical limitation on the applicability of the prohibition against cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment under this section.

(c) Limitation on Supersedure.--The provisions of this section shall not be superseded, except by a provision of law enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act which specifically repeals, modifies, or supersedes the provisions of this section.

(d) Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Defined.--In this section, the term ``cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment'' means the cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, as defined in the United States Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment done at New York, December 10, 1984.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r109:FLD001:S11062

(click on S1162)

[daybreakcoming]

I see McCrazyCain is rocking again. We need to start a pool on when the men in white come to take him away. And Gramn and Keating surely are losing it as well by backing this latest outrage from the loose cannon.

[stan_sipple]

i am disgusted with the Bush admin for ultimately throwing Rum under the bus. You can disagree with the policies, but he was carrying out the orders of the president

[mcshot]

I recall Rummy wanted to get in and get out. The number of troops were based, as I understand it, on many Iraqis commanders agreeing not to fight including their air force.
I do think continuation of the Klinton downsizing was a problem as troops stretched thin and multiple deployments are hard on families.

[edsheppa]

Everytime you figure McKeating can't go any lower ...

[Brilliant]

McNamara, I'd say.

[NittanyLion]

Ping...

[NordP]

"McCain: Rumsfeld One Of Worst Secretaries Of Defense In History"

YOU SEE IN OTHERS WHAT YOU MOST NEED TO SEE IN YOURSELF, McCAIN!

NordP

[leadpenny]

As much as I agree with you on McNamara, he had a bigger goober as a boss.

[Txsleuth]

McCain just throws out that OPINION...with the only reason not being enough troops???

Well...the way we went into Iraq...I don't know how we could have gotten a whole lot more in before we took out Baghdad...

Sheesh...the troops that were turned away in Turkey and had to go all the way around to the gulf...were late getting in..and I am not sure they were even needed.

NOW...I think that Tommy Franks was right when he said that that the USA was a "victim" of it's own military SUCCESS!!

He said they went so far, so fast...that the rest of the military to help keep the peace were not set up yet.

I think if we remember....this war went SO DIFFERENT than what was predicted...re: millions of refugees storming the borders...10,000 US military body bags ordered...WMDS suits being worn by the military..having to fight door to door in Baghdad..

NONE of that happened...which is a GOOD THING, IMHO..

and yet this IDIOT McCain can stand there and say the Rummy is the WORST Sec. of Defense EVER???

Wasn't he also over the Afghanistan war...that also went very well???

PUH-llllllleeeze.

Get these candidates out of my face...I am getting sick of ALL of them, both parties.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

He said Rumsfeld never put enough troops on the ground to succeed in Iraq.

Maybe McCain doesn't read history. We had a half million soldiers in Vietnam. He must of missed that while staying at the Hanoi Hilton. Someone should let him know.

Rummy was right not to repeat the mistake. It would have been more fodder for the roadside bombers and surface to air missiles. What we don't know is who stopped us from using more aggressive strategies like MOABing the Sunni Triangle and Sadr City and carrying out hot pursuit across enemy borders.

[ExTexasRedhead]

McCain is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt what a miserable politician he is. His POW status can't color him electable beyond where he is now. The GOP in Arizona might want to start searching for a candidate like Sam Johnson (who is truly a loyal, patriotic American) to represent them.

[DLfromthedesert]

I also agree on this point. It's too bad it took the president so long to figure it out.

[tiger-one]

John, you did the switch and dropped the bomb on the carrier deck!!!!