Rumsfeld praises troops doing extra duty

[ECH1969]

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Saturday praised the work of an Army brigade whose one-year tour in Iraq was extended just as they prepared to return home, and said he saw no reason for the soldiers or their families to be angry at him.

Asked why reporters would not be permitted to cover the event, Rumsfeld at first replied, "I don't have any idea. I haven't addressed the subject." Later he said he makes it a practice to make all family meetings private.

Rumsfeld said the 172nd Brigade was an effective force during its nearly one-year deployment to the Mosul area in northern Iraq. He said the soldiers performed well in the short time since they shifted to Baghdad as part of an effort by U.S. commanders to quell sectarian killings.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/politics/15369899.htm

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Isn't that nice. Praise from the guy that threw them into the meat grinder

This man has no conscience whatsoever. None.

[Sherman A1]

15. Agreed

[Monkeyman]

2. Ya wait till they get home and not be taken care

Wonder if he handed out more Prozac to the guys with PTSD

[katinmn]

3. He didn't want reporters seeing the unhappy soldiers

[C_U_L8R]

4. As if they had a choice...

such arrogance.
Sickening.
Truly sickening.

[bobthedrummer]

5. He's a war criminal, don't forget how he helped arm Iraq in the 80's

US tilts to Iraq
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/index.htm

Iraq, Iran, Howard Teicher statements etc.
http://www.populist.com/02.17.burns.html

[ShockediSay]

6. WHAT?!?!? BULLSHIT!!! nt

[IndianaGreen]

7. Were the troops searched for weapons before Rummy spoke to them?

Rummy should be more afraid of the troops he is screwing up than he should be of Al-Qaeda.

[MissWaverly]

10. I believe he's meeting with the families who were eagerly

awaiting their loved ones who had already served their tour of duty, so they extend their tour
of duty by 4 months, make the ones who have been home for 3 weeks go back BUT they send Rummie
to talk to the families, that's their perk for this sacrifice, a Rummie appearance.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Is Rummy a sadist?

I can't imagine him meeting with the families unless they were carefully screened.

[MissWaverly]

12. this is the saddest thing

He's doing it so that Bushco can say they care about the families that they are really s****wing
over. How can you say anything else, they keep sending the same people back to fight and
extend tours. Some have their contracts up but are held under stop-loss, and my neighbor across
the street has been called up, he is 55 years old and in the National Guard. They are calling
up Vietnam vets to go over who are in their early 60s. How does any of this make sense?

[0007]

8. What a guy!



Support the war - Donate a Son a Daughter
The GOP working for a better America
God Bless America

[rodeodance]

9. he will be Alaska soon---they will be testing interceptor rockets.

On Sunday, Rumsfeld and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov planned to participate in a ceremony in Fairbanks for a memorial of the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease program. During World War II, nearly 8,000 U.S. warplanes were flown to Fairbanks by U.S. pilots and turned over to Soviet pilots for use against the Germans.

Rumsfeld also was to tour the missile defense site at Fort Greely, near Fairbanks, where interceptor rockets in underground silos are being developed for potential use in the event of a long-range missile attack on U.S. soil. A test of portions of the system is scheduled to be held in a few days.

[Rose Siding]

13. Don figures the satisfaction of a job well done is thanks enough

What's a few more months of grueling, life-draining hell on earth, he wonders. :eyes:

[VegasWolf]

14. Rumsfeld throwing roses at the soldiers feet. nt