Death Toll Mounts, U.S. Extends Iraq Troop Tours (Rumsfeld "surprised")

[Barrett808]

Death Toll Mounts, U.S. Extends Iraq Troop Tours
By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Expressing surprise at the growing U.S. military death toll in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday he had extended the promised year-long tours of 20,000 American troops there including 6,000 Reserve and National Guard members.

Rumsfeld stopped short of saying the Pentagon failed to put enough forces into Iraq when it invaded a year ago, but conceded he did not expect that dozens of U.S. troops would die in fighting with Sunnis and Shi'ites in the past week alone.

"I certainly would not have estimated that we would have had the individuals lost that we have had lost in the last week," he told a press conference, responding to questions on the deaths of at least 93 U.S. troops since March 31.

This month's toll has pushed to more than 680 the total number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq from "hostile action," accidents and other causes since the war began.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040415/ts_nm/iraq_usa_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480

[fairfaxvadem]

1. he's got a lot of nerve to use the word "surprised"...

When are these people going to be run out of town on a rail?

Disgraceful.

[saigon68]

2. They are Scum

Liars

[Goldmund]

3. These fuckers really ARE stupid

I've been convinced all along that they're just playing stupid, that the "aw shucks" game's been a cover for what they knew would happen all along. First they say "cakewalk", then they say "oops we fucked up", but I've always thought they knew what they were doing.

But now, I'm torn. I don't know what to think.

[Skittles]

6. I know what you mean, slav

sometimes I think, really, there's just no WAY they can possibly be THIS STUPID.

[Goldmund]

8. Especially since...

...if you want to rob people and send them to death and still have them vote for you, you'd think that you'd need to be pretty smart -- however evil.

I still think there's a chance this is all within their plan. Maybe they have to play the "oops" game to avoid admitting to lying about their predictions about how this would develop. But since there's no way they'll get another popular authorization for another war, the only way they can escalate is to chreate an even bigger chaos. Before the war, and at the beginning of the war, that's what I thought -- that the whole "they'll greet us as liberators" thing was just a scam so people are lured into thinking that this will be another low-price video game war. Then when chaos ensues, they'll expand operations to Syria and/or Iran. That's what I thought.

But if that's what they're doing, they seem to be a bunch of pretty damn talented actors. You know, sweaty foreheads and everything.

[Skittles]

9. yes, that is a kink

if they were that precise at following their evil plans you'd think they'd all have their stories straight when bullshitting the American public. :o

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

19. No, it is possible... scary, but possible

I hate to say it, but I am not sure there are two active brain cells in the whole executive branch anymore.

[Just Me]

13. Actually, they are brilliantly calculating,...

,...and are likely surprised that the American people have been so tolerant to date. After all, they seemed to have anticipated a serious national uprising and a great deal more international retaliation per all their legal spinnings and withdrawal from treaties and whatnot. If anything, they are probably scratching their heads wondering how the hell they have gotten away with mass murder and multitudinous acts of treason.

[Westegg]

4. Rumsfeld's quote is flat-out obscene...

"I certainly would not have estimated that we would have had the individuals lost that we have had lost in the last week," he told a press conference, responding to questions on the deaths of at least 93 U.S. troops since March 31.


It seems these human lives are but chess pieces to him. How cold and dispassionate can he be? God, what a dick he is!

[Rex]

5. Rummy could care less...everyone is expendable to these goons.

nt

[UpInArms]

7. only a Rip Van Winkle

could be "surprised" upon his awakening of the disasterous consequences of the actions of this maladminstration.



but I guess since there has been a mandated blackout of information and the return of our military dead at Dover, the people in this country are "surprised", too.

[central scrutinizer]

10. "there are surprising surprises

then there are unsurprising surprises
and some surprises that are not surprises
but we are not surprised when an unsurprising surprise surprises us."

[peterh]

11. Who woulda thunk it rummy….

Nevermind the fact that gun barrel diplomacy has never fucking worked in the history of mankind….I mean…really…what’s the big deal about looking at the end of a barrel from an occupying power…ya got me scratching my head now rummy….:eyes:

[daleo]

12. Rummy: Am I surprised by all the death? Golly gee, yes

Could I give a damn? Golly gee, of course not.

[Mountainman]

14. I went to the Wall in DC last year and I could swear that in my mind I

could see the ghosts of all the dead soldiers standing behind the Wall. I hope Rummy can't sleep at night because the ghosts of the Iraq war dead are haunting him like the dead of Vietnam haunted me that day.

[Ilsa]

16. Those people just take another Ambien

and doze right off. They aren't going to little such a minor thing as a few dead soldiers ruin a good night's sleep. (sarcasm off)

[Coventina]

15. I, for one, am "unsurprised"

Everything is happening exactly as I predicted.
Yikes!

[yellowcanine]

17. Instead of asking and answering his own questions, Rummy should

shut up and listen sometimes. Maybe he wouldn't be surprised so often then.

[samsingh]

18. rumsy does not care about the soldiers - only what it does to his

reelection chances.

[Disturbed]

20. Dumb Asshole

Operation Faluja Payback surprised him?