[asgardshill]

Lets say he's somewhere in Iraq when said troop(s) die. So he has to print out the letter and sign it there

If Donald Rumsfeld is personally drafting the letter, typing it into his computer, pressing the print button, making sure there is enough toner in the printer, etc., then he is taking too much on himself and needs help. This is indicative of ridiculously poor time management on his part (which I think we both can admit is not really happening). But, how much time could it possibly take for him to sign a damn letter? I tried it myself and it took all of 13 seconds.

Lets say we really get in the 'stuff', say with China or all enemies attack at once, then we have thousands die in a few days. So you would want him to be signing thousands of letters instead of directing the Defense Department?

As I indicated to another poster, I pray to God that we do not suffer multiple tens of thousands of losses. But if Rumsfeld is going to take it upon himself to draft and send these letters, he should actually sign each and every one. Doing anything else looks cheap.

I have just defended his actions. So it is not indefensible.

And I have condemned them and reject your arguments.

Dismantling the military as Clinton did with the collusion of congress is indefensible, but not this.

I'll ask you the same question that I have posed numerous times in this and other threads - "If a Secretary of Defense during the Clinton Administration had been caught doing this, would you still be defending him?"

[demecleze]

You did not nearly refute anything of the sort.

The problem is not with printing it is with sending the letter back home for the family to get BEFORE THEY FIND OUT ABOUT THE DEATH. Unless he were to scan it or sign it with a pad and then send it electronically. There are other problems like him sleeping or being in a meeting, but I don't know if these are of consequence because I don't know the time scale of reporting deaths. By the way I meant that his aids would do all the grunt work for Pete's sake.

So what is the solution to the fact that we may have casualties that would represent to many for him to sign given his responsibilities? Pray for that not to happen?

Yes, I would be defending the Clinton secretary. That's a nice veiled personal insult by the way: that I am delusionally bias because of my political affiliation.