Rummy blames the mess in Iraq on Turkey and Congress

[sabra]

Also notice how Rummy won't address Iran...

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2006/tr20060405-12762.html

Radio Interview with Secretary Rumsfeld on WTN 99.7, Nashville, TN

<snip>

GILL: Obviously there can be some value in hindsight. As you look back over the last three years, what lessons have we learned from this conflict and the things that happened kind of when the major military operations ceased that we can maybe put to use in future conflicts, maybe even in putting together a coalition or figuring out how to deal with militarily and non-militarily a place like Iran?



SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Setting aside the question on Iran, because the situation in Afghanistan is different from the situation in Iraq, and I'd rather address those two.



GILL: Okay.



SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Two things: In Iraq I think it would have been enormously helpful if we had been successful in getting the 4th Infantry Division in through Turkey. If you think about it, they would have come down from the north, that was the plan, and the Turkish parliament at the last minute by one or two votes were not able to approve it. The result was that we did not have an extremely effective division coming down from the north right into the Sunni heartland that would have been the case had the Turkish parliament approved it.



Second; on a broader scale, it seems to me that what we're dealing with today is the reality that our government and our Congress are not really organized effectively to build partner nation capabilities. We have to be able to rearrange how we manage our appropriations and our authorities so that we have the ability to go in promptly and provide assistance, for example, to develop the Afghan army and the Afghan police and the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police.



We can sustain financially five or six or seven or eight Afghan or Iraqi soldiers for the expense of one of ours, and yet we have a terrible time getting approval through the Congress to use some of the funds to develop the capacity, the military capability on the part of the local Afghan and the local Iraqi people. So that's something we're going to have to get rearranged better on.

:wtf:

[NanceGreggs]

1. I also blame the mess in Iraq on Turkey ...

Turkey No. 1 - G.W. Bush
Turkey No. 2 - Dick Cheney
Turkey No. 3 - Donald Rumsfeld
Turkey No. 4 - Condi Rice

et cetera, et cetera ...

[sabra]

2. LOL

[wryter2000]

3. Me, I blame the Easter Bunny

If he was doing his job instead of laying chocolate eggs, we could put down the insurgency that we all know is in it's last throes.

[sabra]

4. I think the RW wacko wanted him to blame Clinton, France, and Russia

[madrchsod]

i always thought there was something funny

about that rabbit...easter eggs? no containers of weapons of mass destruction!

[madrchsod]

5. stupid old fuck

turkey and the kurds are at this time in a shooting war in the area. turkey refused because the citizens rejected the us position and the turks realized this would free the kurds in iraq to strike the turkish army along the borders. it was the whole stupid plan that was the mistake blame everyone but themselves is the republican motto

[tonkatoy57]

6. Now isn't this interesting

"...we're dealing with today is the reality that our government and our Congress are not really organized effectively to build partner nation capabilities. We have to be able to rearrange how we manage our appropriations and our authorities so that we have the ability to go in promptly and provide assistance..."

Things would be so much better and more efficient if we didn't have all those pesky checks and balances. Gosh, if we could just get rid of the power of the purse in congress, then gee willikers we could be ever so much more quick and agile.

You know, he really is nuttier than a shit house rat.