Rumsfeld makes secret farewell trip to Iraq

[cal04]

Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a secret farewell trip to Iraq, ABC News reported on Saturday.

Rumsfeld's trip, his 13th unannounced visit to the country, came one day after he gave a farewell address at the Pentagon and nine days before he is replaced by Robert Gates. CNN also confirmed the Iraq visit.

Pentagon officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Rumsfeld, who became a lightning rod for world criticism over the Iraq war, announced his resignation in November, the day after Republicans lost control of both Houses of the U.S. Congress amid voter unhappiness with the war.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09314243.htm

[BlueJac]

1. Who knows......

There are known knowns and unknown knowns..............but anything can happen!

[Monkeyman]

2. Hey Troops lock and load anyone down range Fire

[dbt]

3. Lyndon Johnson ANNOUNCED that he was going to Viet Nam.

Then, he WENT, doing what he said he would do. BIG damn difference between then and now, except for the Viet Nams.

:freak:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[daleo]

4. Maybe he had some evidence to destroy

About Abu Graihb, for instance. Some things require the personal touch.

[anotherdrew]

5. surely he'll want to stay and embed with the "Iraqi military" n/t

[onecent]

6. THIS IS ABSURD. WHO pays for this shit? He is an enemy

of our troops. The bastard...BASTARD!

[MarkTwain]

7. Proof: A Criminal ALWAYS Returns to the Scene of His Crime....

:)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. ...

:applause:

[Olney Blue]

8. Don't the troops have enough to worry about without having to provide

security for this meaningless visit? It must be a photo-op for his new reshaping history book.

[goforit]

9. Why?

[VegasWolf]

10. Those poor troops, don't they have enough shit dumped on them already? nt

[Amused Musings]

11. Apparently it is not so secret

[tabasco]

13. Now that its over !

He already went, swift boy. :eyes:

[chknltl]

12. I hope he picks up a souvenir...

...something with a little depleted uranium oxide would be nice. I hope he gets to visit Gitmo too, maybe stay awhile.
:patriot:

[cal04]

15. Rumsfeld Says Farewell to Troops in Iraq

`For the past six years, I have had the opportunity and, I would say the privilege, to serve with the greatest military on the face of the Earth,'' Rumsfeld, 74, said in a speech to more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines at Al-Assad, a sprawling air base in Anbar province, the large area of western Iraq that is an insurgent stronghold.

``I leave understanding that the true strength of the United States military is not in Washington, it's not in the Pentagon, it's not in the weapons. It's in the hearts of the men and women who serve. It's your patriotism, it's your professionalism and indeed your determination,'' he was quoted as saying on the Department of Defense Web site.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6270898,00.html

[rainbow4321]

16. Like the murderer who returns to the scene of his crime...

Or he is meeting w/

1> Saddam's nephew who "escaped"...
or
2> w/ local military brass on how to further sabatoge chimp's future plans in Iraq..revenge for being fired.


I cannot see chimp wanting Runny's name to stay in the headlines..wonder if this trip was sanctioned by chimp or just OK'd by Rummy's Pentagon friends getting back at their commander in thief.

[Shipwack]

17. Hmmm... This is strange... Maybe he really thinks he's loved and respected?

It's possible he thinks that the men in the field really do adore him, and would want a chance to say good-bye. I always thought him evil and incompetent, but not delusional. Maybe I was wrong.

Nah...

He's evil, incompetent, and delusional. No reason why they have to be mutually exclusive.