Rumsfeld Confronted By Soldier Over Equipment Shortages In Iraq

[kpete]

Rumsfeld Confronted By Soldier Over Equipment Shortages In Iraq

Improvized Explosive Devices (IEDs) are responsible for “nearly half the casualties of our troops in Iraq.” Among the best defenses against IEDs is a massive heavily-armored vehicle called the Buffalo, which has “become the favorite of U.S. Army combat engineer teams.”

Yesterday, during a surprise trip to Iraq, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was confronted by a U.S. Army corporal who said the Buffalo he was using was “one of oldest pieces of equipment in the country,” and that just two weeks before, he’d seen a brand new Buffalo in New York City. Rumsfeld defended the Pentagon’s anti-IED efforts and deflected the specific question with a joke.

TRANSCRIPT:

CORPORAL ARTHUR KING: Right now we have one of the oldest pieces of equipment in the country. It’s called a Buffalo and ours is the oldest. And the other day, two weeks ago, we saw a brand-new one in downtown New York City and we’ve been waiting for three months for ours. We are just wondering why that was.

RUMSFELD: Well, I don’t know about New York City. They obviously have a separate budget and they buy what they buy. We’ve got $3.6 billion that dwarfs anything that New York City does just for I.E.D. work and General Monty Miggs has been brought back and he is in the process — he has been in the Army for two and a half, three years, he has been working their heads off as the nature of the I.E.D. problem has migrated and evolved they have put enormous effort on it. I can’t answer why your particular unit ends up with one of the oldest pieces of equipment, but I’ll bet you General Casey can.

Video at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/13/rumsfeld-ieds/

[Roland99]

1. Where'd that $87 billion go, Rumsfailed?

[Monkeyman]

4. Same Place the 26 billion went opps signing statement again

[pooja]

2. Ok who is running the war and is General Casey our

Commander in Chief?????????

[cliss]

12. You caught that too?

This is typical Rumsfailed. He ALWAYS, ALWAYS finds someone else to blame.

I've gone through his speeches, read through his stupid asinine senate hearings. He NEVER FAILS to shift the blame on to someone else. It's amazing! How can this old goat still be the Secretary of Defense????

When you read the stuff (and you don't have to torture yourself like I did) just 2 or 3 sentences will prove it.

He never takes responsibility for anything. He's just an old fool.:smoke:

[annabanana]

3. "I’ll bet you General Casey can"

chuckle, chuckle, chuckle

Golly Mr. Rumsfeld, You're such a card.. Hyuck Hyuck

I think that soldier deserved an answer. And a vehicle.

[Master Mahon]

5. You fight a war with what you got

and with this administration, that's a LOT OF NOTHING!

[The Wielding Truth]

16. I remember that response from Rumsfailed and it makes me want to

scream. He should be in jail or at least fired. What an arrogant heartless idiot!.

[madeline_con]

6. This must have been just before...

Rummy looked at his watch. :puke:

[niyad]

7. I wonder when this brave soldier will end up in the stockade?

[gratuitous]

8. New York City has a separate budget . . . yeah-h-h-h-h

What, are you pleading poverty, Mr. Rumsfeld? I mean, sure, what with inflation and all, $10 billion a month just doesn't buy what it used to, but come on! Surely our star-spangled, freckle-faced boys in the field can be outfitted at least the equal of an urban police force, no?

[gademocrat7]

9. I saw the exchange on KO last night.

rumsfeld is an incompetent evil man. He cares nothing for our troops. He only cares about how much money he can make off this debacle.

[jean]

10. using the phrase "working their heads" is really disgusting considering

the context of the question AND Rumsfeld's use if it referring to I.E.D. 'work.'

[Oreo]

11. I thought the Buffalo in NYC was just a show for the Army

Does anybody know for sure that it's owned by NYC? I figured it was the Army's equipment.

[Sal Minella]

13. Betcha it's used to recruit high school kids, showing what they'll be

driving around in when they get to Iraq......

[kohodog]

14. It's the newest fad...Hummers are so 20th Century

Probably owned by a 30-something hedge fund manager! Coming soon to a suburb new you.

[Recursion]

17. Civilian Hummers should not have been called that

They may share superficial parts of the chassis, but the civilian model is simply not an HMMWV.

[Monkeyman]

15. You know that soldiers right

The new humvees and others will not be sent until 2008