Comments on: How Rummy Skewered Hillary

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 02:12:26 +0000

Rummy doesn’t quite understand the concept of videotape.

His smugness about who was running the show (himself) and his rosy-painting of what we could expect from the War (…certainly not 6 months…) are all on tape.

Revisionist history only counts when you can convince people you really didn’t say certain things, unless you have a tame media which is too afraid to call you a liar. Which in DR’s defense he does.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 13:14:51 +0000

Goodness,
That Grape or Cherry?
The flavor of the week before the assault was 100,000 dead in the march on Baghdad. No wonder we needed 250,000. In the military (I’m medical retired SF) we are always preparing for the last war and where do you think TPFDL came from? As someone who has permanent scars from hostile fire, I’ll trust Ralph Peters (who was in some of the same places at the same time) over bloviating politicians any day. While the problems in any combat theater are innumerable, it seems to be going a lot better in Iraq than any realistic expectation. Two and a half percent of what we expected in the first 90 days after all this time?
BTW, not that I give a rat’s a$$ about the contents of the Baghdad museum, but wasn’t most of the “looted” property found to have been squirreled away by the employees? And for other looting, please refence the New Orleans Police Department. They seem to be rather good at it.

By: ecthompson

ecthompson — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 08:25:35 +0000

Wow? Did you buy any of Rumsfeld statements? Did you think any of them or facts? Which ones? Secretary Rumsfeld’s first point really only points out that there were not enough troops on the ground in order to prevent the looting and the subsequent chaos that has reigned since the looting. If order was restored directly after we claimed Baghdad we would not have this problem with sectarian violence that we’re having now.

You don’t really believe that an authoritarian, dictatorial person like Secretary Rumsfeld allowed the military to make any decisions on their own do you? “Snowflakes” were constantly sent to Generals. Initial estimates of 300,000 to 400,000 troops were consistently belittled by Rumsfeld. I’m sure you’re familiar with the multiple different plans that were brought to Rumsfeld over a 14 month period before the war. I’m sure that you’re aware that no plan called for 130,000 or 150,000 or even 175,000 troops. Every single plan that was brought to Secretary Rumsfeld by Tommy Franks contained over 250,000 troops. He rejected all of them saying that they’re all old and arcane. Anthony Zinni’s plan contained over 350,000 troops.

I’m sure that you’re aware that the TPFDL is a military computer program which automatically figures out the logistical and ancillary units that need to be sent with combat forces. This little program make sure that the third infantry division gets deployed with its equipment and enough ammunition to get the job done. Unfortunately, Rumsfeld canceled this little exercise.

Finally, I’m sure that you’re aware Secretary Rumsfeld micromanaged the war. He even told the General’s which units to deploy and when. He even told them when to notify reserve units that they were to be called up.

When you actually check the facts, read the book Cobra II, there’s very little that Donald Rumsfeld said that was true. Either it was meaningless blather or it’s simply wasn’t true.