Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

"The Iraqi security forces are out engaged in the fight. Some are in the lead, some are working with us in tandem, others are working with us where we have the lead, and that's perfectly understandable," Rumsfeld said on ABC's "This Week."

Yet, as recently as September, Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told senators that only one Iraqi army battalion out of ninety-six appeared capable of fighting without U.S. help. Perfectly understandable.

"We have to all have the willingness to have a free debate, but we also all have to have the willingness to understand what the effects of our words are," Rumsfeld said.

A lecture by Don Rumsfeld about the importance of what effect words have. Just when one thinks nothing this administration does or says could top what happened the day before, it yields this.

I guess stuff happens.

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

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Rumsfeld said on ABC's "This Week."


[/ QUOTE ]

You should be watching football games instead of silly news programs.

Rumsfeld should garner a few 'Newspeak' awards I would think.



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Just when one thinks nothing this administration does or says could top what happened the day before, it yields this.


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And today this: [ QUOTE ]

Bush Lowers Temperature of Iraq War Debate


By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
2 hours ago



BEIJING - After fiercely defending his Iraq policy across Asia, President Bush abruptly toned down his attack on war critics Sunday and said there was nothing unpatriotic about opposing his strategy.



[/ QUOTE ]


How sweet it is.

-Zeno

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

If we're going to have anything that resembles a debate about the war in Iraq, let's start at the beginning......

Did we, or did we not, launch an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country?

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
If we're going to have anything that resembles a debate about the war in Iraq, let's start at the beginning......

Did we, or did we not, launch an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country?


[/ QUOTE ]

Whether or not it was justifiable may be debated, but it was far from "unprovoked".

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
Did we, or did we not, launch an unprovoked attack on a sovereign dictator?

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If we're going to have anything that resembles a debate about the war in Iraq, let's start at the beginning......

Did we, or did we not, launch an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country?


[/ QUOTE ]

Whether or not it was justifiable may be debated, but it was far from "unprovoked".

[/ QUOTE ]

OK.......Let's get a bit more specific:

Let's define & discuss what the provocation(s) were.

I'm guessing that the word 'justifiable' will rear it's head somewhere in this discussion.........

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

Quickly, to list a few provocations:

-firing daily on US planes in no-fly zones

-many years of defying/obstructing/delaying U.N. resolutions and inspections

-purportedly having attempted to have Bush #1 assassinated

-encouraging and helping fuel the cottage industry of Palestinian suicide-bombing with 50K payments to families of suicide-bombers

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
Quickly, to list a few provocations:

-firing daily on US planes in no-fly zones

-many years of defying/obstructing/delaying U.N. resolutions and inspections

-purportedly having attempted to have Bush #1 assassinated

-encouraging and helping fuel the cottage industry of Palestinian suicide-bombing with 50K payments to families of suicide-bombers

[/ QUOTE ]

OK....Please explain how any of the above merits a full-scale military invasion of Iraq?

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

Like M said you can debate the merits but you can't really say that this does not add up to provocation.

Re: Runsfeld Clears Things Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
Like M said you can debate the merits but you can't really say that this does not add up to provocation.

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No insult intended......that seems like a very naive point of view.