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Donald Rumsfeld is under assault. From the left who hate anyone on the right with the balls to speak out and from the right who hate anyone on the right with the balls to speak out. It’s amazing that the Republican Party has taken the Senate and the House with the back stabbing and petty jealousies that are apparent throughout the GOP. Hell, it’s no wonder President Bush is to be named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine; he and most of his cabinet seem to be the only people in Washington with any balls at all.
Rumsfeld takes the heat for Iraq as if there were people who predicted the current situation. Please don’t tell me about Shenseki’s we need more troops comments. He was wrong on so many things it’s not worth relating. I’ll tell you there weren’t many if any that correctly saw the ground truth as it is now. How many arm chair and real Generals talked of a US blood bath in the opening days of the war? Many that were on the sidelines and they were wrong. How many prior to the reconstruction period complained about Armor? It was pretty damn quite then.
The fact that Iranian, Syrians and others outsiders are helping to fuel this insurgency seems lost on the pundits and weak kneed politicians. On the Armor issue, hell the Humvees were Jeep replacements not tanks as has been written in other places. Rumsfeld said during the question and answer period with the set up GI, “you go to war with the Army you have not necessarily the one you want” (paraphrased). Well that’s the truth. You now why? It’s because the politicians and the American public have been unwilling for the past 40 years to pay for it. Nobody wanted to admit there was a growing potential for war. Are you willing to loose some social benefits for a “perfect Army”? I doubt it.
This is not the administration that cut the force too deeply. This is not the administration that determined that the National Guard should make up nearly half of the fighting force. But this administration and Donald Rumsfeld have had to work with the hand they were dealt and in my opinion have done a damn good job. Are the reigns still to tight on our forces? Yes, but looser than I’ve ever seen them before. Yes mistakes are made. Mistakes will continue to be made. The fellow that looks you in the eye and tells you what you want to hear is not your friend. You can bet that fellow is telling everyone what they want to hear. We don’t need more of those.
The press may want to believe the American Soldier and Marine don’t like Rumsfeld but I have news for them. He is very well liked and appreciated. We’d rather be told to suck it up and drive on then promised things we can’t possible get during our tours.
Hang in there Mr. Secretary, when all is said and done you won’t have trouble finding a fresh beer at your table.
Update: The "Rumsfeld Letters" are complete BS. Bring something better if your going to attack...
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