Donald Rumsfeld (merged)

by **NevadaGhosts** » Wed 25 Jan 2006, 21:38:17

Rumsfeld Says Military Not Overextended$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')ecretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday disputed reports suggesting that the U.S. military is stretched thin and close to a snapping point from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, asserting "the force is not broken."
"This armed force is enormously capable," Rumsfeld told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. "In addition, it's battle hardened. It's not a peacetime force that has been in barracks or garrisons." Rumsfeld spoke a day after The Associated Press reported that an unreleased study conducted for the Pentagon said the Army is being overextended, thanks to the two wars, and may not be able to retain and recruit enough troops to defeat the insurgency in Iraq.
Congressional Democrats released a report Wednesday that also concluded the U.S. military is under severe stress. Reports suggesting that the U.S. military is close to the breaking point "is just not consistent with the facts," he said.

by **backstop** » Wed 25 Jan 2006, 21:47:57

I wonder how many Generals have more loyalty to the army, and the Constitution, than they have to the Neo-con Whitehouse ? And just how much more damaging information they could, theoretically, leak ?

by **Zardoz** » Wed 25 Jan 2006, 22:26:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('backstop', 'I') wonder how many Generals have more loyalty to the army, and the Constitution, than they have to the Neo-con Whitehouse?

by **Trab** » Wed 25 Jan 2006, 23:09:40

Heh... Rummy has to deny that story. What else is he going to say?

Reporter:
"Secretary Rumsfeld, a report as been released saying the Army is near its breaking point. Comment?"

Rummy:
"Shhh!!!"

:lol:

by **elroy** » Thu 26 Jan 2006, 11:21:12

I think the primary concern of the military is the safety of their people, so if they're not getting the proper amount of armor or proper trained recruits, or not enough rest, I'm sure they'll speak up. They did speak up about the armor didn't they ?

by **o2ny** » Thu 26 Jan 2006, 13:20:43

I don't watch the cable news shows, but isn't this usually the kind of story that triggers a 'hush, hush' scathing editorial by the likes of O'Reilly and the fox news crew? It's this kind of report that comes out, criticizing military tactics, and/or clearly pointing out how much trouble we're in, and then you get a Sean Hannity a-hole talking to some neo-con lapdog, asking questions like:

"Is it irresponsible to be talking like this about the Army? Is it irresponsible? Doesn't it weaken us in the eyes of the terrorists?"

Meanwhile our guys are dying left and right with no body armor and going insane from the trauma. But this is the kind of thing we need to keep under wraps and 'watch what we say', or else we'll embolden the enemy. I really wish we could start openly talking about this fiasco as it really is over there- an oil/power grab that we are losing instead of this bs about spreading of democracy in the middle east.

by **SinisterBlueCat** » Thu 26 Jan 2006, 14:26:08

Pentagon paid for the study, and now Rumsfeld says he is not aware of it and it's no true.

we are expecting the truth now??

by **RainShadow** » Thu 26 Jan 2006, 16:18:22

Here's a brief clip of Rumsfeld's reaction..

"There is nothing wrong with the army. They are winning battle after battle.."

by **CrudeAwakening** » Mon 08 May 2006, 05:07:21

Wow, I seem to have missed this. Did anyone else catch this on CNN? Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern debates the crap out of Rumsfeld. Brilliant.
Link to Quicktime Video

He obviously hit a nerve; seems like PNACs 'Weekly Standard' has already penned a hit piece on Mr McGovern: link

by **UIUCstudent01** » Mon 08 May 2006, 05:28:55

HA HA HA HA HA AH AHAHHAHA

(Was that really Ray McGovern? That's awesome. Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern? Heheheheheh)

I love the CNN headline.. "Protesters interrupted Rumsfeld speech in Atlanta" - That really tickles me...

I'm sad that people tried to applaud Rumsfeld's non-sequitor answers... Do people feel it patriotic to applaud these answers or do they get paid? I want to get paid to applaud people... That must be a sweet gig.

by **rushdy** » Mon 08 May 2006, 17:10:19

They might be forced to clap at gunpoint instead

by **lutherquick** » Wed 10 May 2006, 21:10:03

http://www.overspun.com/video/Countdown ... eRopes.wmv

This is one great video.
It's the confrontation of Ray McGovern & Rumsfeld (full length).
In addition, you can see how they treat the other protesters.

Even protesters in China, Belarus or Russia can do more than here in the US.
These protestors are only voicing their opinion, they weren't receiving NGO money to over through Rummy or his boss, Bush.

McGovern is great here !
A true American.

by **NTBKtrader** » Wed 10 May 2006, 21:19:30

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage .."

The United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40 percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

Pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.

by **lutherquick** » Wed 10 May 2006, 21:34:42

NTBKtrader,

I think it's just easier to just move (leave the country)...
America is the Titanic...

I'm learning that all this screaming and explaining is doing nothing...

Let the thing HIT, and SINK, then something good will rise up...

Today we learn that Bush wants his brother in office... Well, Iraq is such a success, jobs leaving is a good thing, if we could have just one more shuttle accident, we would be go for mars... We can't find Bin Laden, and anyway, ask Bush, Saddam did 9/11... Bush is as out of touch as the trailer trash that voted for him...

Our US citizens want this country to fail, otherwise they would wake up and fix it insted of taking loans out from communist China...

It's pathetic... A commie nation like China laons us money, the US, the symbol of capitalism... that's friggen bad...

RIP America, it's terminal...

by **Don35** » Wed 10 May 2006, 21:52:12

The quote isn't real. It has been floating about the internet since the '04 election. Interesting concepts though. Go see. http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp

by **Rambo** » Wed 10 May 2006, 21:56:01

I am sitting here for the last little while trying to figure out a nice way to say this but I can’t think of one.

I know this post will get up some of your backs but for god sake people are dying everyday in the middle east because of the nazi nut jobs you have allowed to take power.

Its after been laid out on a platter for all of you from the horses mouth the war of terror is the lie of the century.

Alcoholic Bush and his band of nazis are running a very high risk of starting world war 3 and many of you people voted for him because he said he would stop the gays.

How long do you think Russia and China and even most of Europe are going to swallow this for?

by **gego** » Wed 10 May 2006, 22:52:42

Elections, which everyone thinks of as the essence of democracy, are really only the way rulers are chosen as compared to rule by aristocracy, dictator or military junta. Democracy has little to do with freedom, and in fact the growth of government and the related destruction of freedom shows that rulers selected by vote can be just as bad as rulers selected by birth to a king/queen.

If there were an ideal society, it would be one in which freedom is valued and understood and government of course would need to be minimal for freedom to exist.

The US government is keen on perpuating the myth that democracy and freedom are equal. This suits them since they are the rulers and if people understood that democracy has destroyed freedom then maybe there would be no more elections.

The various proposals on this board over time for government to institute and impose draconian "rules" that are seen as beneficial by the proposer is a good example of what happens if you afford the masses the opportunity and mechanism to rule other peoples lives. The more democracy we have, the less likely will be your survival when the time comes for death to eliminate the excess population.

by **Jellric** » Thu 11 May 2006, 01:33:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase

by **Zantarra** » Thu 11 May 2006, 04:56:47

Shit, the room is full of neo-cons. :-x

Otherwise good video. :-D

by **Battle_Scarred_Galactico** » Thu 11 May 2006, 05:00:54

Well the quote is 100% true, so I'm not really bothered who said it.

It fits the UK aswell in every way.