Rumsfeld cannot be fired because....

[kentuck]

that would be an admission of failure. A failure in Iraq. A failure in the "war on terror". A failure of George W Bush and this Administration. He is never going to be fired. Perhaps he will step down voluntarily at a better time of his choosing - like after the elections in Iraq?

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Union Thug]

2. "no nonsense" ?

You've got to be kidding. Rumsfeld is all nonsense, all the time.

[madison2000]

5. what country are you from?

[Ufour20]

6. The troops support him?

I guess yu talked with ALL the troops and they told you this? the Sod also required competence, logic, thoughtfullness and listening, things he is well in short supply of. But then again, what the hell does he care if a few thousand grunts get killed -- as long as he an his PNAC buddies get their permanent base in Iraq, it's all good.

[kentuck]

7. You must have seen the blurb on FOX?

The PR campaign to save Rummy's ass?

[katinmn]

10. tough and no nonsense? ROTFLMAO

you're too funny.

He doesn't have all that support from the troops. They know they are sitting ducks because he doesn't have a clue as to what he is doing.

Read what the real soldiers are saying.

http://www.optruth.org//main.cfm
http://www.veteransforpeace.org /
http://www.bringthemhomenow.org /
http://www.ivaw.net /

[Webster Green]

11. Ha!

Good one!

[Sparkly]

13. Oh yeah, they love him.

Troops' motto: "We don't need no stinkin' armor, we need a Secretary of Defense who's a 'tough no-nonsense person.' Also a president who pretends he's a cowboy."

[tabasco]

15. The troops hate Rumsfeld.

Including this one.

[ElectroPrincess]

34. BTW "The Military Veterans hate Rumsfeld TOO!"

Including this one. ;)

[NMDemDist2]

16. ROFL yeah right! the brass hates him, just do a google search on

"Rumsfeld generals disagree"

http://www.google.com/search?q=Rumsfeld+generals+disagree&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

Times Online - Comment
... You don’t have to disagree with the war against Iraq ... Remind me what job you still
hold, Mr Rumsfeld? The Defence Secretary blamed his own generals (always a ...
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1071-1396798,00.html - Similar pages

Daily Kos: Brass turns on Rumsfeld
... confirmed Rumsfeld's view of Clintonite generals out of ... wildly off the mark'' and
Rumsfeld also disagreed ... that ''there are others'' who disagree, White concluded ...
www.dailykos.net/archives/002195.html - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

RightNation.US > Lawmakers Chide Rumsfeld for Auto-Signed Sympathy
... 11:24 AM. I'm assuming everyone here understands why Donald Rumsfeld is under ... I respect
Kristol, but I disagree with him and the several generals who may ...
www.rightnation.us/forums/ lofiversion/index.php/t63418.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

Rumsfeld to remain at Pentagon; Thompson resigns HHS post - 12/04 ...
... unusual for leaving all its top generals and civilian ... for Saturday, December 4, 2004;
Rumsfeld to remain ... State economists disagree on budget deficit numbers; Mich ...
www.detnews.com/2004/politics/ 0412/04/politics-23811.htm - 31k - Cached - Similar pages

Rumsfeld to remain at Pentagon; Thompson resigns HHS post - 12/04 ...
... for leaving all its top generals and civilian ... on medical marijuana; Rumsfeld to remain
at Pentagon ... to pass intelligence bill; State economists disagree on budget ...
www.detnews.com/2004/politics/ 0412/07/politics-23811.htm - 33k - Cached - Similar pages
< More results from www.detnews.com >

Joe Galloway: Army Shakeups Clear Path for Rumsfeld's Vision
... at war with the Army's top generals - veterans of ... a number of bruising encounters
with Rumsfeld, who Pentagon ... of publicly ridiculing those who disagree with him ...
www.military.com/NewContent/ 0,13190,Galloway_042603,00.html - 34k - Cached - Similar pages

Rumsfeld's Rules
... By Donald Rumsfeld. ... House links to members to be cut because they may disagree on
some ... asked, “Who do you consider to be the greatest generals?” He responded ...
www.analects-ink.com/weekend/020308.html - 101k - Cached - Similar pages

USATODAY.com - Rumsfeld's abrasive style sparks conflict
... that it would be risky to disagree with him. ... the secretaries make for top generals
and admirals. Even Rumsfeld's harshest critics grudgingly admit that he has ...
www.usatoday.com/news/washington/ 2002-12-09-1a-cover_x.htm - 61k - Cached - Similar pages

[ElectroPrincess]

36. Kudos to you! Excellent research ... good sources.

As a former Military Intelligence Officer, I only know field grade friends and acquaintances who are still Active Duty. Unless my sources are out of the norm, there's NO love lost for Rummy.

The ole' "take no prisoners" and "hard ass" persona only appeals to nugs (new troops) and perhaps, the die hard lifers. Those older and more seasoned soldiers KNOW that Rumsfeld is pushing his own agenda ... "let military history and science be DAMNED!"

Brings a whole new and bizarre spin to the term "Neo-CON."

Bottom Line: Rumsfeld's a world class PNAC policy spewing a**hole. Too bad their tenets are based on pure fantasy.

[tabasco]

17. That's why Rummy had to pull a guy out of retirement ...

to be the Army Chief of Staff. Because the active duty generals supported him so much. LMAO !

[wicket]

18. Enjoy your "fishing"

:nopity:

[Kill Radicalism Now]

19. Many troops do NOT support him

There are a few on sorryeverybody.com who said they voted for Kerry. The reason? Because with Bush they know they'll never come home.

Vietnam 2.

Rummy will never get fired. We need to impeach Bush.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jo March]

25. I agree with the first part - he won't be fired

but the second part of your post isn't grounded in reality. The reality of it is that soliders have to respect the office, not the person who holds the office. They don't respect or support Rummy any more than they respect or support *. They just can't come right out and say that they don't support him.

Having been in the military, I can tell you that it is very political but the troops, although silent, aren't stupid. They know that the war was started on a lie and is underfunded and understaffed.

They don't support Rummy, although the MSM might have you believe otherwise.

[spanone]

30. Foolish place to go salmon fishing

I think you are fishing in the wrong waters. Most folks in here take Rumsfeld at his face value. A blustery overblown egomaniac. I would encourage you to fish elsewhere.

[w4rma]

31. He's a wimp who could care less when folks die/kill for his mistakes. (nt)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

33. That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time!

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! :D

[leftofthedial]

3. they NEVER admit even the slightest error

among other things, firing Rumsfailed would be a major admission of one of the biggest blunders in the history of US foreign policy.

They also can't fire him because things are going swimmingly well for them. Their actual agenda, which has nothing to do with "winning" a "war," is being fulfilled in spades--they've shifted several trillion dollars to the upper 1% for decades to come, they've preserved the power they seized in the coup of 2000, they have four more years to keep plundering the treasury.

[davidinalameda]

4. but will he fall on his sword for his leader

after railing on those who are calling for him to step down and doing in for the "good" of the war effort

[Kill Radicalism Now]

20. Oh but the White House says he's doing...

A superb job! Right along with the FDA. LOL LOL LOL

[sam sarrha]

8. maybe if they keep sending him to Iraq they will get lucky...

[MissBrooks]

9. I heard that ..

when a President is re-selected, his entire cabinet resigns and he decides who to keep.

He then offers the ones he wants to stay their jobs again. That's why so many people are "resigning" now.

This "saves face" so he doesn't have to fire anyone...

Anyone know if this is true?

[Florida_Geek]

12. very true

all president in resent history. Most keep the ones they want and respect the wishes of the ones that really want to go

[MissBrooks]

21. Cool - thanks.

Thanks for confirming.

[Old and In the Way]

14. Because he knows where all the bodies are buried.

He's part of the governing council. Fact, I think he pretty much runs our foreign affairs out of the Pentagon. I'll bet Condi gets a desk in his anteroom. He's a PNAC architect, afterall.

[Webster Green]

23. Bingo!

If they fire him they'll have to kill him.

Not that killing him would be a big deal to these thugs.

[Dulcinea]

29. Rummy's one of the puppet masters.

He'll go down with the ship. Guaranteed.

[mtnsnake]

22. because Bush is afraid to fire him

for one of two reasons:

1) Bush loses his only goat for the war. How many times have we seen Bush shoulder the blame for anything? Only when public sentiment about the war reaches an obscene low, will the chimp have the balls to fire him. He'll wait for a better time, like when he's completely out of excuses.

2) Rumsfeld has the goods on Bush. He gets fired and some bad things start coming to the surface about his ex-boss.

[Donna Zen]

26. Careful what you wish for:

Now I have never had confidence in Rumsfeld, but that puts me in two minds about getting rid of him. On one hand, it would be an honest move since he is a miserable failure. On the other hand, what effect would getting rid of him have?

Do we really believe for one nano second that bush would place a more competent person in that position? If so, why wasn’t it done along with this latest spate of resignations? I think we could look forward to more of the same with one caveat: everything that would and will go wrong will take the onus off of the resident. He could simply, as he regularly does, pass the buck; however, this time the buck would be passed on to those who opposed Rumsfeld. The new: “This wouldn’t be happening if the Democrats hadn’t forced us to get rid of Rummy” meme would only replace the current: “It’s all Clinton’s fault.”

No_I don’t rummy leaving as a plus. It just opens the door for the boy-king to take the high ground.

[xultar]

27. WE NEED RUMMY....to stay in, not get fired or to quit. TRUST ME

on this. Rummy must stay to continue to eff up. I just don't want troops to pay for his screw ups with their lives.

[zulchzulu]

28. PNAC

He's completely in on the whole thing. Even Richard Perle (also a member) gets to have discussions with his former buddies.

As far as Rummy is concerned, they may need ANOTHER Pearl Harbor-type event to occur to get the next level of war to get public support.

[David Zephyr]

32. Because Dick Cheney Knows Better Than to Let Bush Do It.

Rummy and Cheney, they run the show with Rice and Rove making it pretty.

[tsuki]

35. because Rumsferato is the only one in Amerika that can make

Dubya look good by comparison.

[youngred]

37. possibly, but I doubt it

Rummy may be the easiest target left in the administration with Ashcroft resigning, but there is one thing Bush treasures and demands above all else, loyalty. That goes both ways as far as he is concerned so don't look to see one of his most loyal lapdogs leave unless things become totally unbearable