Hey, I wonder who Rummy is talking about in this speech 8/29/06

[TayTay]

We need to consider the following questions, I would submit.

With the growing lethality and the increasing availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?

Can folks really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?

Can we afford the luxury of pretending that the threats today are simply law enforcement problems, like robbing a bank or stealing a car, rather than threats of a fundamentally different nature, requiring fundamentally different approaches?

And can we really afford to return to the destructive view that America -- not the enemy, but America -- is the source of the world's troubles?

These are central questions for our time, and we must face them, and face them honestly. We hear every day of new plans, new efforts to murder Americans and other free people. Indeed, the plot that was discovered in London that would have killed hundreds, possibly thousands, of innocent men, women and children on aircraft flying from London to the United States should remind us that this enemy is serious, lethal and relentless.

But this is still not well-recognized or fully understood. It seems that in some quarters, there is more of a focus on dividing our country than acting with unity against the gathering threats.

Rumsfeld was speaking to the annual American Legion Convention today. He made sure he brought his jar of vitriol and his baseless accusation against no one in particular.

[karynnj]

1. can we afford the luxury of allienating the entire world?

Seeing that Rummy has gotten precisely NOTHING right, I guess all he has left to do is throw verbal attacks at people calling him on his incompetence. Wonder how he feels that even McCain, Clinton and Lieberman have joined the mob who have demanded he be fired since 2003.

[MH1]

2. How's that "fundamentally different approach" workin for ya?

It ain't workin too well for us, dipstick.

[ginnyinWI]

3. The mere fact that he feels he has to defend his position,

at this stage in the game is very telling. And that he feels he has to attack the Kerry position, also very telling. We're winning the argument, that's why. And I think everybody knows it even when they won't admit it. When George Will says Kerry was right, the neocons have got to know they're in trouble, even with most of the media still not confronting them.

[wisteria]

4. Excuse me, but what a raving lunnie he is. Rove must of wrote this little

ditty for him and for the others.This is their new angle or spin if you will, on the mess they have created and can find no way out of. So, we should continue to stay on the wrong course, conduct the war on terrorism in the most idiotic manner and not leave Iraq because they will say they won. How sad, what a tragedy, they are in over their heads and instead of reaching out for help, they continue to spin to avoid the truth and admit they were wrong. What a bunch of children. They need to move aside and let the adults take over.

[_dynamicdems]

5. That was my impression: raving lunatic! But I don't think Rummy's the

one behind the strategy.

Remember when there was criticism of Democrats for comparing our erosion of civil liberties and balance of power to Nazi Germany? They were foaming at the mouth over that.

Karl Rove always turns the tables. The Dems got smacked down for bringing Nazis into it, so Rove decides to bring it up in a HUGE way and turns it on the Dems (who were then too afraid to ever mention Hitler and Germany again). And Rummy is just nutty enough to be the carrier of this particular virulence. He doesn't get it: he could be the potential fall guy. If this ploy fails, the Repugs have a great fall guy: Rummy is near the end of his usefulness and they'd use this to cut him loose.

But if it works: the Repugs get another fear card to play.

[wisteria]

7. Oh, I figured it was Rove behind all of this. The spin has been building

since last week. A. Colter, (on Hannity & Combs) even went so far as to say that if we don't continue to fight these terrorists there, they will come over here and slit our throats, because they hate us and want to do away with all Americans and our way of life. Only they can save us, because they understand the threat so well.
These people are shameless.

[_dynamicdems]

6. JK has been getting too much credit from both sides on the

issue of dealing with terrorism lately. They don't like that, do they?

[TayTay]

8. Follow the money, sigh!

The correct argument that terrorism is better fought as a law enforcement issue threatens a lot of people's contracts with the US Government. Conservatives may be liars and fakes on many fronts, but nobody messes with their money.

If Sen. Kerry's proposals and goals on terrorism do come to fruition, there are going to be a lot of changes in the Defense Budget. There are a shitload of people who would find that very threatening. So, they are dealing with the threat by backing the current way of doing things. (Arming and supply armed forces for a tradtional war instead of re-thinking war itself in the error of non-definable armies.)

[_dynamicdems]

11. He's a threat to them on so many levels it isn't funny, but it does boil

down to greed and power. I'm cynical about the ideology of the right: it's just a means to an end, IMO.

[TayTay]

9. Smackdown Hall of Fame: Juan Cole today

http://www.juancole.com/

OMG, go check out this complete and utter smackdown of Rummy for saying that Dems are appeasing fascists. This is priceless!

[wisteria]

10. Great read. I am going to pass this along to some of my fence

sitting friends who aren't sure where they need to be on this issue.