Army Times: Boehner Refuses To Apologize For Faulting Generals

[Kadie]

Boehner refuses to apologize for faulting generals

By Rick Maze
Staff writer


In the wake of Sen. John Kerry’s belated apology for offending troops deployed in Iraq, House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner of Ohio is being asked by Democrats to apologize for seemingly blaming senior military officers for any problems with the Bush administration’s Iraq strategy.

Boehner, however, does not appear to be budging.

“Good try,” he said when asked about demands for an apology.

snip...
“You have to understand that the generals who have been in charge of the Pentagon have been very resistant to change,” Boehner said. “It’s the younger generals who understand this new force structure that we need to have for the military of the 21st century.

“I think there’s only one person in America who could have brought about that transformation, and that’s Donald Rumsfeld,” Boehner said. “He’s smart, he’s been through the Pentagon, knows how it works. And now we have a lighter, more flexible force, a quicker force.”


more...
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2328683.php

[grizmaster]

1. K&R

time to hold the repugs to their own standard

[stop the bleeding]

2. swooosh - off to DU's front page

hurts so good

[JohnnyLib2]

3. Very good sign, this piece.

The upper ranks KNOW it's a quagmire and that their entire careers are tied to it. Thanks, Boner.

[indepat]

4. Herr Boehner must not realize who chose the generals, must not understand

where the buck stops.

[TahitiNut]

22. Oh, I think he understands quite well. He's keeping them in line.

If they don't stay in line, he's very clear that there are "younger generals" eager to take their places. That is, they're good Nazis.

[originalpckelly]

5. Font PAGE DU!! Come on this should be on the front page...

it is the Army Times after all.

Fuck you Boehner!

[Solly Mack]

6. It's the blame anything and anyone but Bush talking point

America didn't lose....and Bush didn't lose....other people did the losing.
America didn't do anything wrong and Bush didn't do anything wrong....other people did.

And it doesn't matter who the other is, as long as it's not America or Bush.

See, if America is wrong then Bush is wrong and then Bush enablers are also wrong....if America committed a crime then Bush committed a crime and Bush enablers also committed a crime...


but if you can blame the others...then you can deflect blame from yourself

[Straight Shooter]

7. "a lighter, more flexible force, a quicker force."

The invasion of Iraq proved that Rumsfeld was wrong, wrong, wrong. Boehner is repeating the lie, hoping it sinks in. Nice try, Boehner.

[BrotherBuzz]

8. Push the old Generals aside for the younger generals who understand this new force structure

Not unlike Enron MBAs turning the business world on its ears. How did that work out? :shrug:

[Straight Shooter]

11. That irked me, too.

Boehner is the face of the new GOP. No wonder it's such a nasty worm-infested sewer.

[TankLV]

43. Yeah - all those repuke juviniles who were raised on video games and think "war" is just

another BETTER video game!

God I hate these people...

[bullwinkle428]

9. Keep digging that hole, Boner...make it all about "the brilliant and

talented Rumsfeld vs. the dumbass generals"! :rofl:

[blm]

10. This is another UPSIDE for us in this whole faux apology dustup.

.

[lyonn]

12. Would Boner please explain this "new force structure"

That would be a start for Boner who is military brilliant, apparently. Does he know what Rummy's new force structure is? It looks like it means paring down the operations, smaller forces, less armour. Rummy's army is getting whipped and that is supposed to tell us his strategy is working? Rummy blames who? Bush totally backs Rummy and Cheney, latest bush pronouncement. Why not explain why since we are sinking in Iraq? Our military is laying Their life on the line, give Them an answer, one that doesn't just say, "they will be there 'till I'm out of office." And, your doing a good job Rummy.

[raysr]

13. Why isn't this up front on

Google News? There're still Hammering Kerry. Fucking gasbag McGavick here in WA ST is trying to make some mileage on it saying Cantwell should have fallen to her knees for forgiveness from the chimp, (that's what I thing he wants). Cantwell did a fundraiser with Kerry the day after the sky fell and didn't respond the way McRepuke thought she should have. They're gonna hammer this till the end, with the help of the MSM.

[mod mom]

14. Join me in sending this off to KO!

[e-mail]

[IWantAChange]

18. done

[Coexist]

28. done

[ljm2002]

15. One other point that gets lost...

...someone made it here at DU (I think) yesterday: the active generals that Boehner criticized cannot defend themselves. Therefore he is free to take all the potshots he wants to, they can't say anything back. I wish one of our Democratic leaders would hammer this home during an interview. It illustrates that these guys never fight fair.

[Solly Mack]

19. Exactly.

The "generals on the ground" that Bush "listens to" can't open their mouths to defend themselves without getting into trouble - so they can be freely and easily blamed. And isn't that convenient?

[trogdor]

16. IOKIYAR

If you're a Republican, you can insult the troops on purpose. If you're a Democrat, and insult the troops by mistake, you have to genuflect and pray for forgiveness.

Bastards.

[IWantAChange]

17. Nixon era Rumsfeld the ONLY person in America - WOW

Either Rummy has been hiding his immense intellect, superior military mind or his connection with GOD from all of us or TOTAL INCOMPETENCE is the true measure of ability and success.

:wtf: :wtf:

[progressivebydesign]

20. They aren't reporting what he really said...

I just watched the video again.. and he said "let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld" Wolf says, "but he's in charge", Boehner says "the fact is the generals on the GROUND are in charge, and he works closely with them AND the president".

That is NOT what they have in this article.

And he SHOULD apologize.

[Cha]

21. Good! Keep it up

boner.

[robertpaulsen]

23. "Good try"?! What makes Boehner think his shit smells like roses?!

There is no excuse for what he said. No fucking excuse! This is not a quote taken out of context, he is clearly saying that instead of placing the blame on Rumsfeld for the debacle in Iraq, the blame should be placed on the generals, i.e. OUR TROOPS!

What can we do to shake up MSM and confront them with the hypocrisy of such disparity of attention between Kerry's botched joke and Boehner's deliberate putdown? It's not enough to have Reid and Dean speak out, we need to get Wes Clark, Anthony Zinni and the rest of the generals who have spoken out against Rumsfeld's disastrous leadership to call Boehner out on his reprehensible comments which are, in fact, the literal definition of an INSULT AGAINST OUR TROOPS.

I don't know any of these generals personally, but I'm going to go to their websites and send this story to them. If anyone else here has more personal contact, PLEASE INFORM THEM. We cannot let this hypocrisy stand!

[brg5001]

25. Well stated, Robertpaulsen. How long will this Boehner last?

Boehner is just a total slug. Why no apology? And more importantly, why no coverage? Because the MSM's oversimplifed template of "Republicans good on defense, Dems bad" is not served by this news event.:rant:

[robertpaulsen]

27. Thanks. I sent this to Clark and Zinni.

I can't remember the names of the other generals, but this needs to be spread FAR AND WIDE!

[Raksha]

24. K & R

:kick:

[McCamy Taylor]

26. The GOP probably expects the generals to fall on their swords. It

is what they would have done in feudal times.

[Disturbed]

29. Didn't Gen Tommy Franks get the Medal of Freedom?

Yeah, the Illegal Invasion of Iraq didn't require a massive force because the Iraqi Army had been decimated in Gulf War 1 and some higher level Officers had been bought off by the CIA before the US Assault. Had the Iraqis been real clever they would have offered no resistance at all. The Insurgency would have been even stronger than it has been.

Occupying Iraq was another matter. The Insurgency rose up and a few thousand jihad fighters poured into Iraq, incl al Q members. The US Force was completely unprepared to deal with that. The book "Fiasco" lays out the situation.

[Supersedeas]

30. No sarcastic banner from the Minnesota National Guard--cat or Rove got their tongue?

[zbdent]

31. Evidence for the prosecution, piece # 2612874788 why the media is "liberal"

this video/audio is not all over the internets, the networks, and the talk radio circuit, blasting Boner for his "misstatement" ...

Ask any regular Joe what "macaca" is about ... blank stare ... probably even in Virginia ...

Ask same regular Joe what he thinks of John Kerry ... frothing at the mouth, angry that he's "calling the troops stupid!" ...

[young_at_heart]

32. You've hit the nail on the head

The media evidently want our country to be a Republican "monarchy".

[Kadie]

33. Bingo!

I want to say I am shocked they haven't reported this story in the msm, but I can't.

[a la izquierda]

34. happy to see this thread up,

as i watched him give that interview yesterday, and almost choked when i heard what he said...and yet, nothing on the news? i've refused to watch any of it, lest my brain liquify if i hear one more news bite about Kerry.

[TheMadMonk]

35. Part of the problem is there is a good deal of truth in their...

deliberate misreading of Kerry's words.

If a kid doesn't get a decent education, whether the fault be theirs or the state of the school they are forced into, then virtually the only chance they have of getting ahead in today's Amurika is to get one's arse stuck in Iraq and then survive the experience intact.

This truth is yet another condemnation of Republican Party policy, and I suspect they recognise this, hence all the screaming to keep minds focused on the contrived "insult" rather than the deliberately broken system, re-engineered to churn out sub-litterate cannon fodder.

[MasonJar]

36. I guarantee you there is no active general older than Rummy or

who knows less about anything than Boehner and the whole stupid Bush bunch.

[meuniermr]

37. Go suck your own boner, Boehner. EOM.

<>

[rodeodance]

38. Bush has been setting up the Gens to take the fall since the

beginning of the war.

[bridgit]

39. that's only because Boehner is chickenshit...

[cassiepriam]

40. Younger generals who kiss Rummy's behind.....

they want more stars..........

[sqarebis]

41. Boner is a jackass

Let the RW hypocrisy speak for itself.

[TankLV]

42. A repuke to apologize for DIRECT comments, not an interpretation.

HA!

Like THAT will ever happen...

John Kerry and other Democrats take note: Don't EVER apologize - especially for something you DIDN'T do - especially if the repukes and media whores insist you must!