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Ear to the Ground

Rumsfeld to Press: ‘Back Off … Relax’

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Posted on Oct 26, 2006
Rumsfeld
From CNN via ThinkProgress

The dangerously out-of-touch secretary of defense bristled at reporters’ attempts to challenge him on differences between U.S. and Iraqi officials on benchmarks for progress in Iraq.

  • UPDATE: Watch it

  • Washington Post:

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters today to “just back off” and “relax” instead of looking for differences between U.S. and Iraqi officials on benchmarks for progress in Iraq toward political and security goals, and he rejected the idea of penalizing any failure to hit the targets.

    In a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld sparred repeatedly with questioners over reported discord between U.S. officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on a timeline for Iraqi security forces to assume more responsibilities from U.S. troops. Rumsfeld disputed a characterization of Iraqi forces as chronically failing to meet benchmarks, saying this assertion was “flat wrong” and that the Iraqis have “done a darn good job.”

    In response, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “Today a secretary of defense, who should have been fired a long time ago, lost even greater touch with reality.”

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    By Ken Green, October 30, 2006 at 3:06 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Kerry voted for the 87 billion when given cherry-picked intelligence and against it when given all of the intelligence.  You WWII analogy is whacked too.  Nice try!

    Kerry was right!  Terrorism is a law enforcement proble.  The Brits proved that.  No one here is buying the Bullshit Bush is selling and you’re parroting.  William want a cracker ?

    Report this

    By Jackie T. Gabel, October 29, 2006 at 8:40 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Senator Byrd warned them, “Remember the fate of Charles the First!” - Back off? Indeed, the block is just over there, Sir. Now come along peacefully.

    Report this

    By Brookie, October 29, 2006 at 12:04 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    We have every right to be upset, we don’t have to RELAX!!!  The wheels have come off of the whole administration, and we have a right to be miffed!  So Rummy sit down and put a sock-in-it! We have had it up to our neck in incompatence and lies...No victory in Iraq and now Rummy Afganistan has become a even bigger issue.Step down and go away

    Report this

    By joey, October 27, 2006 at 9:36 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Is it true the radioactivity sensing planes
    sent up to monitor Korea detected Iraq?
    Is it true that the uranium used in bunker busting bombs has a half life of 2 million years.
    Do you think Cheney will still be around or just his fallout.

    Report this

    By joey, October 27, 2006 at 5:39 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    How radioactive is Iraq ?  Basra?  Bagdad?

    Is it safe for anyone ?

    Report this

    By Egoigwe, October 26, 2006 at 10:47 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Insensitive basket-mouth!

    Report this

    By Nancy Nahvi, October 26, 2006 at 7:12 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Rumsfeld is so far off the mark, he’s off the map and pretends he doesn’t know it. As the body counts escalate, the more he digs in his heels, after all, once he admits a mistake, humpty dumpty will fall and he and his boss will be at the bottom of that pile.

    Report this

    By yours truly, October 26, 2006 at 6:17 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    “Complicated stuff, back off and relax”?  What is he crazy?  And if not that, an idiot perhaps, or might it be that he’s all of the above plus having a habit of always putting his hands in the cookie jar and getting away with whatever the goodies.  Wouldn’t be so terrible, perhaps, if everyone else got away with doing that same thing, but it’s only him and his two accomplices (plus assorted cronies and hangers-on) that do.  So what he just said, he has to say.  Unless, of course, he’s ready to own up to deeds that are gonna send him directly to The International Court of Criminal Justice; there to be tried for his crimes against humanity.  And what chance will our Secretary of Defense have there, on trial for his life (oops, the death penalty will be off the table), with the whole world in waiting?  Which means no sense from now on paying attention to anything he says, simply because we have to focus on the seventh of November, what’ll it take for us to win, and after that where to from then on, with adjustments, prn, along the way, as per each and every one of us.
    .

    Report this

    By William, October 26, 2006 at 3:50 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Kerry’s right! If only England and the rest of Europe would have established a timeline for assuming more responsibilities in defeating the Germans in World War 2, we never would have had to enter that useless war. But Churchil wasn’t as familiar with timelines as John Kerry and the Dems are. Take Kerry’s famous line: “I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it.” Kerry’s timeline for supporting the 87 billion was precisely up until the time he stopped supporting it - not a minute later, not a minute earlier. That’s a man that knows his timelines! But Rummy, he’s beyond time and timezones. He’s crazy! He will not let the Iraqi’s assume full control until they are actually ready to assume full control and not according to the Dems watch.

    Yes, Kerry’s right! A man like Rumsfeld who doesn’t understand the value of timelines should not be defense minister - instead he should be a flip flopping Senator.

    Report this

    By Jeffrey Moore, October 26, 2006 at 3:19 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Why aren’t we outraged?
    Why isn’t the media reporting the body count on each news program and on the front page of every major newspaper?

    Report this

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