A less visible Donald Rumsfeld "something of a pariah"

[enough]

Posted on Sun, Jul. 18, 2004

A less visible Donald Rumsfeld

The defense secretary insists that he is as active as ever amid talk of his being a political liability.
By Robert Burns
Associated Press


WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, for years the most public face of the Bush administration's war on terrorism, has suddenly become scarce.

Burdened by the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal and constrained by the presidential election campaign, the Pentagon chief who led the Afghanistan and Iraq wars has been relegated to a less visible role.

Once seemingly in danger of being fired over the prisoner abuse, Rumsfeld appears to have survived. Yet some wonder whether the White House might still conclude that he is a political liability and prefer he leave this summer.

"Donald Rumsfeld has gone from being the most popular spokesperson for the Bush administration policies to something of a pariah," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a think tank based in Arlington, Va.

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http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/9179445.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

[jean]

1. What's worse - Rumsfeld tending to business or slacking off?

Hersh reports the Pentagon budget is in crisis - there is a BILLION dollars unaccounted for. This does not even take into account the HUMAN tragedy portion of his responsibilities!

Reports say he doesn't accept bad news or new ideas, relies on a narrow group (one or two guys?) of 'yes men' and now isn't under public scrutiny. (A while ago he addressed US troops and mentioned he was reading a Civil War book to help de-stress. When the hell does he have time for recreational reading???)

Is this representative of Rumsfeld 'being on the job?'

The quagmire is ever more terrifying and I'm praying for everyone and everything under his purview.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. According to Wolfowitz

When he and Rummie heard that a passenger jet had just flown into the WTC, they decided that there was nothing they could do about it, so they continue on with their meeting.

Rummie doesn't give a shit about his troops or anyone else for that matter. He's just another lizard that wants to get rid of as many useless eaters as possible.

[cliss]

3. Wow. That's one I've never heard before.

And it does not surprise me in the least. Jeez, sometimes I really DO agree with David Icke who says these guys are aliens or reptiles or something like that. Either way, they're not human.

You've got to admit: there's something not human about hearing something like that: they go on with their meeting.

I could get started on RumsFailed, but it's Sunday morning and I don't want to poison my day off just yet.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Wolfowitz's statement is right of the DOD website

Here's the link:

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030509-depsecdef0223.html


Q: Do you remember then the impact of the plane into the Pentagon? Or had you first heard stories about New York? What was --

Wolfowitz: We were having a meeting in my office. Someone said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Then we turned on the television and we started seeing the shots of the second plane hitting, and this is the way I remember it. It's a little fuzzy.

Q: Right.

Wolfowitz: There didn't seem to be much to do about it immediately and we went on with whatever the meeting was. Then the whole building shook. I have to confess my first reaction was an earthquake. I didn't put the two things together in my mind. Rumsfeld did instantly.

[treepig]

5. only ONE BILLION?

i heard not so long ago the pentagon had "lost" $2.3 TRILLION.


doubt that another billion's going to keep them awake at night.