Rumsfeld's testimony may not save his job, credibility of U.S.

[TacticalPeek]

Published May 8, 2004

Rumsfeld's testimony may not save his job, credibility of U.S.


Ron Edmonds / the Associated Press

By Jon Frandsen
Gannett News Service

Washington - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's appearance Friday before Congress to explain the torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners was a near-perfect version of the peculiar Beltway ritual of taking responsibility for a terrible problem ? but not too much.

Rumsfeld also followed the time-honored path of providing answers, only not too many. He said investigations were still going on to determine what happened.

A full day of testimony before two congressional committees, numerous charts and graphs, and several fierce exchanges provided two results:

- It is still not clear whether the United States has begun to repair the devastating damage done to the nation's reputation and credibility, especially in Iraq. Any lingering gratitude over taking down Saddam Hussein has been all but eliminated by the American torture and abuse of detainees in the same prison where Saddam committed unspeakable crimes against political enemies.

- Rumsfeld's grip on his job as President Bush's chief prosecutor of the war on terror remains tenuous.


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http://www.news-leader.com/today/0508-Rumsfeldst-82510.html

[Eye and Monkey]

1. Junior calls him "Rumstud". Perhaps "Rumsdud" more appropo.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Rummy is most likely closer to

reworking his resume

By the way under last job will War Criminal (presumed, has not been even charged) work?

I know silly me, giving him more of a break than they did to the prisoners

[Hekate]

3. Rummy should stay on the job and drag Bush-Cheney down with him

Hang tough, Rummy! Stand by your pal, Dubya!

Otherwise, Team Bush jettisons Rummy like a dead mackeral, and sends in Colin "Cover Up" Powell, and they still could pull off this election.

It's a thought.

Hekate

[cliss]

5. In that case,

"Stand by your man". We wouldn't want his prospects to improve now, would we?

[SEpatriot]

4. Bush admits no mistakes....

Remember that. The stubbornness of GW will keep him w/Rummy 'til the bitter end. He will not be perceived as a wimp, like his father. That, and the fact that Rummy is part of the evil triangle headed by Cheney and Richard Perle.

[Dover]

6. It's astounding that Rumsfeld refuses to resign because of what he called

the "politicalization" of these events. WHAT?! Does that mean he feels that in a non-election year he might be permitted to get away with the torture, deaths and sadistic perversions that occurred on his watch?

Does he think so little of these crimes and human rights abuses that he considers them status quo?

He also seems to be operating under the illusion that he's been "effective" as a leader and that his resignation would somehow be a great loss for this country.

[saigon68]

7. You are Right

He feels that in a non-election year he might be permitted to get away with the torture. Hell just look at the resume of these Yaa Hoos. Iran Contra, etc etc. They are child like War Criminals.

[salin]

8. remember... to the neocons... any criticism = politicization

but only criticism of them is politically motivated and unfounded... criticism of democrats, of course, is still legitmate and nonpolitical. :eyes:

[2cents]

9. political = pictures

Election year or not, without the pictures, they would have gotten away with it. The pictures are Rummy's blue dress.

snip
"It is the photographs that give one the vivid realization of what actually took place. Words don't do it," Rumsfeld said. "You read that, and it's one thing. You see the photographs ... and you cannot help but be outraged."