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Rumsfeld Challenges Rice on Her ‘Tactical Errors’ Remark

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Posted on Apr 6, 2006
Rumsfeld and Rice
From PBS

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an undated file photo.

The secretary of defense said the secretary of state displayed a “lack of understanding ... of what warfare is about” in saying last week that the U.S. had probably made thousands of “tactical errors” in Iraq. “I don’t know what she was talking about, to be perfectly honest,” Rumsfeld continued. (Hat tip: Huff Po)

Washington Post:

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he did not know what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was talking about when she said last week that the United States had made thousands of “tactical errors” in handling the war in Iraq, a statement she later said was meant figuratively.

Speaking during a radio interview on WDAY in Fargo, N.D., on Tuesday, Rumsfeld said calling changes in military tactics during the war “errors” reflects a lack of understanding of warfare. Rumsfeld defended his war plan for Iraq but added that such plans inevitably do not survive first contact with the enemy.

“Why? Because the enemy’s got a brain; the enemy watches what you do and then adjusts to that, so you have to constantly adjust and change your tactics, your techniques and your procedures,” Rumsfeld told interviewer Scott Hennen, according to a Defense Department transcript. “If someone says, well, that’s a tactical mistake, then I guess it’s a lack of understanding, at least my understanding, of what warfare is about.”

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By Lordy Lordy, April 7, 2006 at 10:06 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

“Why? Because the enemy’s got a brain; the enemy watches what you do and then adjusts to that, so you have to constantly adjust and change your tactics, your techniques and your procedures,”

WOW, now I know why this man is Secretary of Defense and I am just a common citizen.  Adjusting not only your tactics, but your techniques and also your procedures--a trifold system.  Genius!  Because the enemy has a brain-- something I never considered.  I hope the insurgents don’t get their hands on this intelligence.

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By TruthPlease, April 6, 2006 at 11:02 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

“I guess it’s a lack of understanding - at least my understanding...."- Donald Rumsfeld.  Well , that explains what I’ve suspected all along. Rummy, and his neo-con cohorts really don’t understand what they are doing, what they’ve done, or what the generations-long results of their hubris will be- I guess admitting you’ve made a mistake is just not in their “planning” - must be nice to be so damned certain of one’s self while delegating the murder of so many innocents, alienating all of our international allies and friends and bankrupting our strong nation - all to “get the people who did this to us” Where is Osama, by the way?  George, Dick and Rummy don’t care - they only trot him out for election speeches anymore. Where’s the money we had in the “bank” when George got placed in office? I’d love to see a comprehensive list of companies that have financially benefited from this “war”.  How could any of the neos explain those pesky “Downing Street memos” showing their plans to invade Iraq BEFORE Sept. 11 ?????  Where are the Walter Cronkites of this generation? Are there no reporters who have balls? The gutless MSM just keep sucking the administrations *****.  Bill Clinton (and our entire nation) had to go through $40 Million and nearly a year of Impeachment proceedings over a blowjob, all breathlessy, endlessy reported by our main stream media, not to mention the OJ Simpson and double Michael Jackson circuses, yet they yawn and turn away while Lady Liberty and the Constitution are ravaged and sold to the highest bidder.  Sigh - Will it ever end.  Please vote and get everyone you know to get out there too - Hope your state doesn’t use electronic voting machines, though!!

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By Mark Mandell, April 6, 2006 at 5:44 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

It all goes to show again and again that Rums-"failed".

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By Lieutenant Breakfast, April 6, 2006 at 12:43 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

condi’s noting of “thousands” of tactical errors
instantly identifies it as a throwaway line - why
not hundreds instead of thousands?  never forget that this is the same mouth that uttered, regarding flying planes into buildings, that
“no one could imagine...” - any 6 year old child
could imagine flying planes into buildings -
Rummy’s thinking is so defensively concrete that
he swallow’s her cockamamie assertion as if she
really means it

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By felicity smith, April 6, 2006 at 10:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

“Tactics, techniques and procedures” when not in the context of a strategy are Rumsfeld’s “stuff happens,” a statement well in line with Rice’s thousands of “tactical errors,” so we have a case here of the pot calling the kettle black. According to Zinni, Rum never did have a strategy in Iraq and has no intention of developing one. As far as not calling tactical changes “errors” why would one ever change tactics if they were never wrong.  Which exactly describes why Iraq is in free-fall.

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By John Norman, April 6, 2006 at 8:15 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

So, according to Don Rumsfeld, in war there are no mistakes. Whew! That’s a load off my mind!

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