Rumsfeld Apologizes (But Not to You)

[LiviaOlivia]

Rumsfeld Apologizes (But Not to You)
By Justin Rood - October 31, 2006, 5:45 PM

Yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld apologized. Not for rudely telling Americans to "back off" in their criticism of his lousy performance; not for going to war in Iraq without adequately planning for stabilizing the country; not for running the U.S. armed forces into the ground; not even for infecting Bartlett's with inanities about "unknown unknowns."

Donald Rumsfeld didn't even apologize to America. He apologized to Turkey.

Last month at a NATO training seminar in Rome, a U.S. lieutenant colonel showed his audience a map displaying a "Free Kurdistan" where parts of Turkey are today. That's kind of a painful idea for Turks, who like their country the way it is. Several Turkish officers stalked out of the event. Back home in Turkey, the incident re-ignited fear that the United States secretly harbored plans to carve up the country -- an abiding worry due to the U.S.'s close diplomatic relationship with the Iraqi Kurds.

You see, Turks were already on edge about this "secret plan." In June, the Armed Forces Journal -- a non-government publication -- published an article by retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters that featured a very similar map. Titled, "Blood Borders," the piece imagined the geography of the Middle East if colonial powers hadn't created artificial boundaries in the earlier part of the century.

I spoke with Peters today by phone. He was, perhaps ironically, unapologetic. "The fact these societies have descended into self-destructed paranoia isn't my problem," he told me. "I have no regrets about writing it, and I would do it again." Besides, Peters grumbled, "anything that makes Donald Rumsfeld's day more unpleasant is a good thing."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001909.php

[MADem]

1. Ewwwwwwww, Jeeeeeeeeeeez .....how .... **uncomfortable**~~!

Well, the fucking horse is out of the BARN, now, ain't it, Rummy? No wonder the Iraqi Kurds remain staunchly committed to the US agenda!!! Hell, they've probably cut the deal that they'll give a percentage of the oil lucre to Porgie if we can ginn them up a nation-state, and preferably one that encompasses the widest possible swathe of geography around greater Kirkuk!!

I have a few old pals in the Turkish military...guess now ain't the time to be pickin' their brains!

His new map, though, is pretty brutal!! Look at how well Baluchistan is carved from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan! To say nothing of the big "fuck you" to Saudi Arabia--the oil over here, you religious nuts over there!!!

The other thing I noticed is that, strategic importance to us notwithstanding, Bahrain isn't even fucking LABELLED on either map (it's that turdlet next to Qatar, FWIW). Hmmmm!

[Jacobin]

2. HOLY Mackeral

Thank you for posting the two maps. Looks like Rumsfailed got caught giving away half of Turkey!!!


:wow: