Posted on 12/20/2004 7:18:37 AM PST by Pikamax
Soldier Says He Asked Rumsfeld 'Armor' Question Without Aid of Embed
By E&P Staff
Published: December 19, 2004
NEW YORK In his first public account of last week’s controversy, Spc. Thomas Wilson says that he came up with the now famous “armor” question for Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld himself, without the help of oft-criticized reporter Edward Lee Pitts. And he adds, "If this is my 15 minutes of fame, I hope it saves a life."
The account appears in next week’s edition of Time magazine.
Wilson, who serves with Tennessee’s 278th Regiment in the National Guard, tells Time that he befriended Pitts, an embed for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, at California's Fort Irwin, where his unit trained. Later, in Kuwait, after Pitts learned that only soldiers could ask questions at the upcoming town hall meeting with Rumsfeld in Kuwait, he urged Wilson to come up with some "intelligent questions."
After his convoy arrived at Camp Arijan in Kuwait, Wilson found hundreds of fully armored vehicles promised to another unit months down the road. Wilson says he asked if the 278th could use them in the meantime, and was told no. That inspired his question about the shortage of armor, which he showed to Pitts.
The reporter, far from being the protagonist, suggested that he find “a less brash way of asking the question," but Wilson “told him no, that I wanted to make my point very clear."
Wilson says he also came up with three alternate questions on his own.
The Time account continues: “As for Rumsfeld's brusque response — that even a fully armored vehicle ‘can be blown up’--Wilson says, ‘Personally, I didn't like that answer.’”
But he added, “I hope I didn't do any damage to Secretary Rumsfeld.”
Following the meeting, Wilson told Rumsfeld he did not intend to put him “on the spot” or show disrespect, and the two shook hands. Most soldiers were “overwhelmingly positive” afterward, Wilson says, but one officer suggested he should have asked the question in a more “proper forum.”
Wilson says he replied: “What would the proper forum be?” He adds: “If it costs me my career to save another soldier, I'll give it."
yeah right. whatever.
*sniff*
What's that smell? Vaguely bovine...
So you support the troops until they ask to be properly supported? Sounds about right.
Sounds as if he is trying to make amends so as not to delay his next promotion.
Oh. So the imbed was lying? Not too surprising.
So, did he get and pass the question from the journalist or not? One of them must be lying then...
No, it doesn't sound right, but it does sound typical.
The wording of that question, the phrasing, the "lecture-while-asking" mood of the whole thing screams...
"I am press and I am clueless, but I am out to get you, na na na na!"
Give me a freakin' break!
These young soldiers have no idea of the faux "support" they are suddenly getting from Time and other left-wing media elites.
They will learn with maturity I quess, as we all have done.
So who's telling the truth here? One of them is a liar...or could it be both?
brusque also brusk ( P ) Pronunciation Key (brsk) adj.
Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt. See Synonyms at gruff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [French, lively, fierce, from Italian brusco, coarse, rough, from Late Latin brscum, perhaps blend of Latin rscus, butcher's broom,, and Late Latin brcus, heather; see briar1.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- brusquely adv.
brusqueness n.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
brusque adj : marked by rude or peremptory shortness; "try to cultivate a less brusque manner"; "a curt reply"; "the salesgirl was very short with him" [syn: brusk, curt, short(p)] Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
~snip~
I fail to see how TIME can accurately characterize Rumsfeld's lengthy and thoughtful answer as "brusque". Unless they have an agenda, of course. Then I can see how they can mischaracterize it so.
No, you jackass. You just gave the RATs, MSM and some idiot Republicans talking points that will last until Rummy gets disgusted and quits.
Yeah, jackass. Proud of yourself?
If you really cared you'd know the answer has been given. Or perhaps you just want the question to hang out there as if it was shrugged off and ignored?
Big Big BUMP.
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