BUMP!
Ping
Logic, right strategy, don't mean nothin.
The dims wanted power and were willing to mischaracterize, sacrifice everything good and turn it into failure in order to gain their power.
When we fail in Iraq because of them they will not care as long as they are in power. Of course it won't be their fault so everything is fine.
As long as they are in power.
If he'd had his way, clinton and carter wouldn't have had anyone to give nuclear weapons to in North Korea.
"Dean-Pelosi Democrats"
These folks appear to want abandon Iraq to provide a homeland for the terrorists.
Ouch. VDH pulls no punches...
I've taken this out of context, but adding a few hundred thousands more troops would have not stopped the terrorist. Even a million troops would have done nothing more than what we have done. This is not war now, it is insane persons willing to blow themselves up. It is almost impossible to detect them before the act no matter how many troops.
Sorry Hanson. The American people voted against neo-con nation building schemes and conflicts. Iraq should have about as much political autonomy as Japan did after WWII.
I am particularly sick of the MSM's rallying cry and O'Reilly's and others at FoxNews, for that matter; just how disastrous is Iraq and the accompanying 'anger'. ..anger. . .anger. . . that they claim, ALL American's share.
Sick of media speaking 'for' me; and with their own bias and agenda it serves.
I do not know whether Rumfeld needed to leave or not; but sorry Bush thought this was he better way. . .
Meantime, the Pelosi Dems will turn their viitriol on Gates and remain the singularly most loathsome people on the planet - save the terrorists that is; but by the Dems own 'lights'; they are a close second.
The minute the republican's in government begin to agee with the dems, expect the dems to turn on them and take opposite positions.
They can't help themselves.
The exception, of course, is the expansion of communism within our society.
"Don't blame Rumsfeld"?
Well i don't.
But i DO think that anyone with an ounce of political acumen would have realized months ago, that it was time for a new Defense Secretary, as i said here.
Just another example of republican mis-management.
MISMANAGEMENT! And from republicans! the group that ought to have done management right!
I love Rummy. I hope for the best for him. I hope he writes a book to be released about say in Oct of 08. But, I wish people would take a deep breath and realize this was all planned months ago and Rummy was in on it. He isn't disgraced.
BTW, when did World War 2 end? Do we still have troops in Germany? Have any troops been harmed after Germany lost? Why are the democrats not saying that we have to end WWII????????
Rumsfeld's mistakes:
1 - Not admitting from the start that Iraq would take 5-10 years for a plausible democracy to be established,
2 - Not beefing up the Army with manpower in 2002,
and
3 - Browbeating subordinates.
GWB's mistakes - 1 & 2, plus
Not taking responsibility for the conduct of the war ("Whatever the generals tell me" isn't an acceptable plan of action for the Commander-in-Chief), and
Not taking his case to the American people. It takes work to overcome the media, and he didn't do it.
I just hope that Rummy has been keeping good notes because he really does need to write a good book. Perhaps it can't be published right away, but the whole story, the REAL story, should be written and put in a vault for future release.
Which is why there is little reason to take you seriously. Go back to growing grapes and teaching college.
Let me know if you want in or out.
Links: FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
His website: http://victorhanson.com/
NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
New Link! http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/
bttt
The boxes of blame were piling up in the Sec Def's office. Partisan politics demanded he load them on his shoulders and walk out the door with them. It adds further emphasis to the perception that the real battlefield is Washington DC not Baghdad. Think about what we've done in terms of the message it sent to the Middle East. It says violence is working. It says the reward for doing one's public duty is blame and ridicule. Is that an experience we should expect Iraqis and Afghanis to emulate?
What we've done is reward the chaotocats in the Iraqi parliament by blaming and then dumping one of the few qualified American leaders of this war. Rumsfeld has made great strides under excruciatingly difficult circumstances. It's our collective intolerance of difficult circumstances that made us do what we did. By “we”, I am referring to the American people - By “did”, I am referring to the act of creating anxiety among a presidential administration in the middle of a war to make them sacrifice a key member of their team.
I’ve read outstanding analyses that claim Western democracies can’t win small wars. I surmise Western democracies can’t function as if they are at peace domestically while they fight a difficult war abroad. Unfortunately, no amount of “political postulating” or “blame trading” will make national security threats disappear. War is an unpleasant reality that the Sec Def will forever be responsible for. As a nation, I think this is the message we are sending loud and unclear to the world:
"keep the world's wars behind the curtains Mr. President. I'd rather watch Borat joke about rape, racism and prostitution than consider alternative national policies to effectively combat dysfunctional societies. You, not them are the reason those dysfunctional societies state loud and clear they wants to kill us all. Fix everything by doing nothing Mr. President and get it done yesterday!"
We were lucky to have him, there aren't many real leaders left anymore.