After Outcry, Rumsfeld Says He Will Sign Condolence Letters

[Robbien]

By Dana Milbank
The Washington Post
Sunday, December 19, 2004; Page A05

The Pentagon has acknowledged that Donald H. Rumsfeld did not sign condolence letters to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq, but it said that from now on the embattled defense secretary would stop the use of signing machines and would pick up the pen himself.

In a statement provided to Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper, Rumsfeld said: "I wrote and approved the now more than 1,000 letters sent to family members and next of kin of each of the servicemen and women killed in military action. While I have not individually signed each one, in the interest of ensuring expeditious contact with grieving family members, I have directed that in the future I sign each letter."

The controversy arose when soldier-turned-writer David H. Hackworth penned a column on Nov. 22 reporting that two Pentagon-based colonels told him that Rumsfeld "has relinquished this sacred duty to a signature device rather than signing the sad documents himself." After checking with various families of the dead, Hackworth wrote that "one father bitterly commented that he thought it was a shame that the SecDef could keep his squash schedule but not find the time to sign his dead son's letter."

Hackworth wrote that a Pentagon spokesman, Jim Turner, dutifully told him that "Rumsfeld signs the letters himself." Now, that assertion turns out to be inoperative.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10891-2004Dec18.html

[NYC]

1. "Inoperative" is the new word for lying?

Hackworth wrote that a Pentagon spokesman, Jim Turner, dutifully told him that "Rumsfeld signs the letters himself." Now, that assertion turns out to be inoperative.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. What a lying bunch of bastards.

No wonder the world hates us.

[NYC]

8. No, you mean what an inoperative bunch of bastards.

Newspeak. (copyright 1984)

[Drifter]

2. No offense ...

but wouldn't your time be better spent "Getting us the FUCK out of Iraq" ?

Squash ? Not sure I even want to visualize that.

Cheers
Drifter

[CRK7376]

3. Thank goodness for

COL Hackworth! He sure knows how to throw a grenade into the cesspool and stir things up. Rummy should be humilitated over the lack of respect he shows to our troops. But Shrub loves this jackass. So will we be out of Iraw by the fall of 2008? Not likely...

[Massachusetts]

4. GO HACK!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Robbien]

6. This is Dana Milbank's second article since he was taken

off the White House gaggle brigade. BushCo is going to be sorry they said they didn't want Dana to be part of the WH press corp. Dana is much more useful to us out here writing indepth pieces which examine WH activities.

Today's other Dana Milbank article is over here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x92713

[amber dog democrat]

7. Zo, Herr Rumsfeld cares about der gefallen landsers ?

Well isnt this nice. I guess he wants to avoid any future embaressment by seeming to evade responsibilty for his debacle and war crimes. We are prisoners of this war.

He may be really busy in the following years to come, unless hes tried and relieved of his duties.

[Moderator]

9. duplicate story

discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1078998