Rumsfeld Era at Pentagon May Be Prolonged

[PfcHammer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/23/international/23DISPATCHES.html

Rumsfeld Era at Pentagon May Be Prolonged

By MICHAEL R. GORDON
Published: April 23, 2004

WASHINGTON -- One of the most intriguing questions during this very political year is what President Bush's national security team will look like if the president manages to defeat his Democratic challenger in November.

For months, the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that the critics might not have Donald Rumsfeld to kick around any more. Having launched two wars, the defense secretary will probably move on along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, or so the speculation has gone. Their departure would clear the way for a new team and perhaps even open the door to new policies.

But the corridor talk at the Pentagon is very different. Current and former senior U.S. defense officials say that Rumsfeld has not given the slightest suggestion that he wants to leave his post any time soon. To the contrary, they say, he appears to relish his job, is immersed in his grand project to transform the American military and seems determined to carry on if there is a second Bush term.

''He has given no indication whatever that he is moving out,'' said a former Pentagon official who has worked closely with Rumsfeld. ''There is no sense of trying to bring things to closure. There is much more of a sense that he feels that he is in the middle of something and has got to keep it going.''

<whack>

[bobthedrummer]

1. He is a war criminal abusing our troops for a war president

he opened an Office of Force Transformation/OFT and installed a retired Admiral (Gebrowski) to oversee it.

He is a champion of Revolution in Military Affairs/RMA and, with all the USAF blue so close to him, Revolution in Political and Military Affairs/RPMA too, imo.

RMA link
http://www.datafilter.com/mc/rmaWarCollege.html

RPMA link
http://www.guerrillacampaign.com/coup.htm

This is part of PNAC, it's treasonable imo

[noonwitch]

2. Rumsfeld is not the problem, Bush is

Rumsfeld is an advisor. He's Bush's war guy, and he knows his stuff for the most part. Bush has advisors and has to balance out their arguments and come to a rational decision. Bush chose not to listen to Powell at all.

When I was in high school, we had an athletic director named Jim Czanko. He was the best damned high school athletic director in the country. When he wanted helicopters to dry a wet football field so the game wouldn't be called off, the school board supplied them. When he wanted new stands for the football field, the school board approved it. It was not his job to approve the money, but to be a good athletic director. It was the school board's job to say, "Well, Jim, that's a great plan, but the English department needs new textbooks".

It's Bush's responsibility to say, "Gee Don, that's a great plan for invading Iraq, but I think we'll wait and see what the UN Inspectors find" or "Can you change those plans to include a UN coalition of forces?".

Rumsfeld is the only one in that administration I can stand anymore, because he is what he is and makes no bones about it. He's also funny at press conferences, with his cranky demeanor and all. I loathe the media, too, albeit for different reasons, so I appreciate it to some degree.

I know I am going to get flamed for this, but it is how I see the situation.

[bobthedrummer]

3. Rumsfeld helped arm Saddam and more than likely OBL too imo

He is guilty of war crimes and profiteering.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/index.htm

http://www.webcom.com/~lpease/collections/hidden/teicher.htm

[mobuto]

4. Actually I agree with you

Rumsfeld is, on the other hand, completely dishonest but its not his policies he has to justify - its the Administration's. Also, by all accounts, Dick Cheney despises Rummy and that has to count for something.

[thebigidea]

6. really, which accounts would these be?

They're longtime friends going back decades, Cheney was the one who brought Rumsfeld on board.

[mobuto]

7. Well,

From the beginning, the Cheney/Wolfowitz/Perle crowd wanted the DoD to focus on attacking Iraq. Rumsfeld had other priorities - reorganizing the Armed Services, NMD, etc. Even after 9/11, Rumsfeld resisted getting on the bandwagon, refusing on numerous occaisions, for example, to link Saddam with 9-11.

More than a couple of times, Cheney's come close to firing Rumsfeld - including just before 9/11 and yet hasn't been able to, politically. Rumsfeld's gotten a lot of top generals to despise him, moreover, something that Cheney's not to keen on. I can go on.

[thebigidea]

11. please do, and some sources would help

I haven't heard this angle before, as all the reports and articles I've read peg Rummy as on board the bandwagon, and helping drive it, from the getgo.

And the firing thing - more details!

[denverbill]

8. I'd ditto that. They are buddies from WAY back.

IMO, they are the brains behind Bush. Everything of any significance that's been done by this entire admin was hatched within one or the other head shown here.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. A younger Rumsfeld (bottom right) was also rumored to be part of

this mysterious group of men during the 1980s.

[thebigidea]

12. man, they look like villains in some Joe Don Baker film

thanks for the pic, that's one to save for later snippin'.

"Mitchell!"

[thebigidea]

5. yeah, he's funny. its a laugh riot! Haw haw haw haw! Hee hee hee hee!

"Will more people get killed? You bet!"

haw haw haw haw ha ha ha!

[goclark]

9. Funny ha ha ha

I agree with you.
I don;t find his press conferences funny in the least.
He is a neocon of the first order.
The Press continues to laugh at his stupid jokes and smart ass remarks.
Our soldiers continue to die because of his off hand remarks and attitude.

[truthspeaker]

13. after the way he totally botched Iraq?

He ignored the advice of the State Department, CIA, and his own generals in what to expect after invasion and how to deal with it. All of that advice turned out to be correct. I don't know if he won't admit making mistakes or if he doesn't even recognize his own mistakes even as the consequences fly home in coffins.

[yellowcanine]

14. "When in a hole - keep digging," says Rummy

"There is much more of a sense that he feels that he is in the middle of something and has got to keep it going.''

"Those WMDs must be here somewhere."


There is one way to get the SOB out - Fire his boss!