NYT: Marines Get the News From an Iraqi Host: Rumsfeld’s Out. ‘Who’s Rumsfeld?’

[seafan]

Marines Get the News From an Iraqi Host: Rumsfeld’s Out. ‘Who’s Rumsfeld?’


Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr., right, taking a smoke break.
Joao Silva for The New York Times

By C. J. CHIVERS
November 10, 2006

ZAGARIT, Iraq, Nov. 9 — Hashim al-Menti smiled wanly at the marine sergeant beside him on his couch. The sergeant had appeared in the darkness on Wednesday night, knocking on the door of Mr. Menti’s home.
When Mr. Menti answered, a squad of infantrymen swiftly moved in, making him an involuntary host.
Since then marines had been on his roof with rifles, watching roads where insurgents often planted bombs.

Mr. Menti had passed the time watching television. Now he had news. He spoke in broken English. “Rumsfeld is gone,” he told the sergeant, Michael A. McKinnon.
“Democracy,” he added, and made a thumbs-up sign. “Good.”
The marines had been on a continuous foot patrol for several days, hunting for insurgents. They were lost in the hard and isolating rhythms of infantry life.

They knew nothing of the week’s news.

snip

Now they were being told by an Iraqi whose house they occupied that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, one of the principal architects of the policies that had them here, had resigned. “Rumsfeld is gone?” the sergeant asked. “Really?”
Mr. Menti nodded. “This is better for Iraq,” he said. “Iraqi people say thank you.”

The sergeant went upstairs to tell his marines, just as he had informed them the day before that the Republican Party had lost control of the House of Representatives and that Congress was in the midst of sweeping change. Mr. Menti had told them that, too.
“Rumsfeld’s out,” he said to five marines sprawled with rifles on the cold floor.
Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. looked up from his cigarette. “Who’s Rumsfeld?” he asked.
If history is any guide, many of the young men who endure the severest hardships and assume the greatest risks in the war in Iraq will become interested in politics and politicians later, when they are older and look back on their combat tours.

snip

“People in America are very happy,” (Mr. Menti) said. “I saw this on TV. And I am very happy. Thank you, American people.”

[gully]

1. Very interesting.

Thanks.

[babylonsister]

2. Who's Rumsfeld?

Hard to believe he didn't know who Rummy was prior to getting shipped to Iraq.

[Shipwack]

3. I'm not surprised...

Out of any group of five people you're going to have one person politically inert. Now technically, as a member of the armed forces he's obligated to know his entire chain of command, but he's probably young and has had a lot more important things on his mind like getting shot at since he left boot. Perhaps it was just a brain fart from someone that has been patrolling Iraqi alleyways for 16 hours+.

[beltanefauve]

4. This doesn't surprise me

unfortunately. I don't know where to get the stats (Read them on DU and heard them on Randi Rhodes) but a high percentage of our troops still believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, and that they are in Iraq to avenge 9/11. I even read where one of them had a picture of the Twin Towers taped to the inside of his footlocker to remind him of why he's there when the going gets tough. If the troops are that misinformed, why shouldn't they know who the heck Rumsfeld is?