WP: Rumsfeld, Murtha Continue War of Words Over Iraq

[leftchick]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/20/AR2005112000414.html

The newly energized debate over the war in Iraq continued unabated today, as Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) repeated his call for a withdrawal of troops while Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld warned that words "have effects" on both U.S. troops and the enemy.


<snip>

Bush largely left the administration's rebuttal to Rumsfeld, who appeared in successive interviews on the network's Sunday talk shows.

<snip>

And, he added, "we also have to understand that our words have effects. And put yourself in the shoes of a soldier who thinks that we're going to pull out precipitously or immediately, as some people have proposed.

"Obviously, they have to wonder whether what they're doing makes sense if that's the idea, if that's the debate," Rumsfeld said. "Put yourselves in the shoes of the Iraqi people who've put a great deal at risk to run for office, and support the elections, and support the constitution, and subject themselves to risk of assassination.

"Put yourself in the shoes of the enemy. The enemy hears a big debate in the United States, and they have to wonder maybe all we have to do is wait and we'll win. We can't win militarily. They know that. The battle is here in the United States."

[IndianaGreen]

1. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

John Kerry's words of so long ago, which he himself seems to have forgotten, are as relevant today as they were when Kerry said them in 1971.

[VegasWolf]

2. Rumsfailed should put himself into the boots of a poor citizen soldier

just trying to get home to his life.

Rumsfailed, "put yourself in the shoes of a soldier who thinks that we're going to pull out ..." My reaction would be, "It's about fucking time!!!"

[For PaisAn]

3. No, let him do it.

He should put himself in their shoes, literally, then come back and talk to us.

[Amonester]

4. If Rumsfailed was not such the coward that he is, he would say:

"I will put myself in the shoes of a soldier tomorrow, and I will go fight them there, so YOU don't have to fight them here. (An IL illegal act...)

Instead of the constant rw-cowards meme:

"put yourself in the shoes of a soldier"

[whalerider55]

5. "we have met the enemy...

and he is us..."

walt kelly


Rummy knows exactly what it is like to put himself in the shoes of the enemy. he wears them everyday.

he is a monster.


whalerider

[Peace Patriot]

6. Freedom = the freedom to loot. That's his philosophy. Take it from there

If you're stupid enough to be poor, you get the hot end stick of his policy. You take the bullets. If you're born an Arab, you have no human rights, and people like Rumsfeld can waterboard you and set dogs on you and put you into a naked pile of prisoners, and kill you. If you're born Iraqi, and you don't get with the looting program, you deserve to be robbed and bombed and kicked around.

As if HE could put himself into the shoes of the cannon fodder he ships off to Iraq, or into the shoes of "the enemy," as he calls them. "The enemy" --people defending their country from illegal and brutal occupation; people defending their way of life, their religion, their dignity.

Rumsfeld is an arrogant scumbag, murderer and torturer, who hid out and sat on his hands, on 9/11, not answering his phone, apparently, during the hour in which he could have mounted a defense of our capitol--and this, after pulling all NORAD decision-making power into HIS hands three months before.

Where was he? Why was our nation's capitol undefended?

Dr. Strangelove. Mr. Lurker. The Master Mind behind Traitorgate, in my opinion. Mr. Abu Ghraib. The worst of a truly bad lot.

I saw a thread today that suggests that he is now the target of Fitzgerald's investigation. I hope so.

There is also another thread reporting on a Rumsfeld interview by AFP today, in which he lies through his teeth that the Iraq war wasn't his idea. Unbelievable, pathological lying. The man is insane with power.

[lyonn]

7. Answer to Rummies question

Have a secret vote in Iraq among the troops and see what they really think of a quick pull-out. They are the ones that truly know what the situation is over there.

[Julius Civitatus]

8. In a fair world, Rumsfeld would be in jail

He is a war criminal, one of the master heads of the neocon cabal. And he had the gall to say that these things now. Scumbag!

[daleo]

9. " We can't win militarily. They know that. "

Did Rumsfeld say what I think he said?

[rodeodance]

10. George Stepanouphnous did a good job interviewing Rummy --he

held rummys toes to the fire. and all rummy could do is utter mumble jumble like he usually does. He was hot under his collor though.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Suit up, Rummy...the front line in Iraq has a place reserved just for you!

[rodeodance]

12. did you see this!!---

Bush largely left the administration's rebuttal to Rumsfeld, who appeared in successive interviews on the network's Sunday talk shows.

"We live in a free country and it's proper for people to raise questions and to have views," Rumsfeld said on the Fox News Sunday program. "And he does, and that's fair enough." But, he said, "his views were not broadly supported in the House or the Senate either by Democrats or Republicans."

[fooj]

13. I hate that rat bastard!

:mad:

[Toots]

14. Were his views BROADLY supported in House or Senate?

:shrug:

[0007]

15. "We live in a free country and it's proper for people to raise questions.

I'm so tired of hearing that same old bullshit I could scream.

Rumsfeld and junior are in denial. It is popular public opinion by the American people and Rep. John Murtha is speaking for us. Your party is failing to monitor the recent polls on this issue. You're making a big fucking ass out of yourself .

Put yourself in the shoes of the 15,000 young men that have lost an arm, a leg, eyes, or part of their brain. Put yourself in the shoes of their loved ones. Put yourself in the shoes of the 2100 families that have lost their children. Put yourself in the shoes of the veterans that try to get help from the Veteran's Hospital and are refused. Put yourself in the shoes of the people that have heard you and junior lie and lie for reasons on behalf of Halliburton and the Carlyle Group.

[1620rock]

16. Put yourself in the shoes....

of those poor desperate Vietnamese who desperately clamored to board the last departing helicopter from the roof of the American embassy in 1975.....it was awful for them BUT that last departing chopper leaving Vietnam was the best thing we ever did in that war torn country. Same for the Iraqies... Pitiful at the moment, but in the long run it is for the best for all sides of this useless quagmire. :shrug:

[VegasWolf]

17. Welcome to DU!!!!

:toast:

[0007]

18. Welcome home 1620rock. I hope you like here!

Vietanam was another major fuck up. Good post.