RUMSFELD: 'We will defy Paris and Berlin. They will be judged by their people'

The Times ^ | February 10, 2003 | Robert Thomson

[MadIvan]

Keep right on, Mr. Rumsfeld.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Dog]

fyi

[tomahawk]

Excellent. The perfidy of the French, Germans and Belgians is breathtaking. Expulsion of these nations from NATO should be seriously considered, as they are unwilling to defend a fellow member state about to come under attack.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Bump!!

[guitfiddlist]

Anybody right now watching the PBS Frontline Special on the last Gulf War? I am absolutely amazed at the parallels. Russia and France trying to run interference against Bush in the first Gulf War. Deja Vu all over again.

[Samurai_Jack]

Bravo Mr Rumsfeld!

Nothing but admiration for the big brass ball on that guy. Stand down the world.

[Way2Serious]

Looks like Turkey won't have to worry too much about the approval process the next time they come shopping for the latest in US made high tech defense equipment.

[July 4th]

Pretend that it is September 10 and you are dealing with a shadowy network that is getting ready to kill 3,000 innocent men, women and children. How do you connect the dots in a way that is persuasive? That is hard.

So true.

[Catspaw]

Rummy = Bad Cop. Powell = Good Cop. I love the strategy :-))

[Attman]

Bravo Mr Rumsfeld! Nothing but admiration for the big brass ball on that guy. Stand down the world.

He only has one? ;)

[mikenola]

The President and General Powell mentioned human rights. That’s a perfectly legitimate thing to do. I will have to be honest with you. Europeans seem so disinterested in human rights — I shouldn’t say Europe ... much of Europe has agreed with the resolution.

Ouch! That oughta get our European "allies" going. These hypocrites in the UN blather on about human rights but do nothing about it. They turned a blind eye to Hitler till the killing was done, turned a blind eye to Tito and Milosevic till the killing was done, now they're doing the same with Saddam , then preach to us about human rights. Gimme a break.

Rumsfeld is on the warpath, gotta love it.

[aristeides]

Emphasising that war was imminent but still avoidable, Mr Rumsfeld said his preferred solution was for President Saddam Hussein and his close associates to flee Iraq and seek safe haven in a friendly country. “The first choice has to be a solution that allows the international community to get in there and deal with the weapons of mass destruction. The only way that is going to happen is if he is gone, and the preferable way to get him gone is for him to go,” said Mr Rumsfeld, who granted the interview to editors from leading newspapers in ten European countries. “The country that received him could promise not to extradite him,” he said. “And I am sure there are plenty of countries that would be happy to have him.”

There was some talk on the Sunday shows here about how Bush's budget lacks an item for the costs of the Iraq war.

Does somebody know something?

[aristeides]

Nato will survive, but if the partners announce what they are intending to do (if France, Germany and Belgium block the transfer of defensive equipment) ... they will be judged by their own people and they'll be judged by other Nato countries. I think it’s a shame because Turkey is an important country ... my guess is that Turkey will survive. It will work with other countries in Nato. It would be such a surprising and breathtaking event that I suspect it would reverberate for a while.

[Paraclete]

He only needs one!

On the serious side, it's refreshing to see someone like Rumsfeld. What a contrast with the likes of Cohen -- so stink'n politically correct -- but representative of an administration with no substance.

[rs79bm]

Rumsfeld....we are witnessing one of the best, folks! One of the best!

[CedarDave]

This article hits the mark straight on. No comment needed!

[Starrgaizr]

Don't forget the French in Rawanda. Only 500,000 killed while the French sttod guard.

[LiberalBuster]

Yet another reason to dismantle NATO. It has outlived its usefulness. Let the ingrates of Europe defend themselves.

[MadIvan]

Agreed. There is no reason why an American or British soldier should shed their blood in defence of France and Germany.

Regards, Ivan