Bush & Rumsfeld: Psychics? Or, Doctors of inoculation?

[Abe Linkman]

Most people know that bush claimed to have seen WTC 1 being "attacked" one day before video of the event was shown to the public. Some people have tried to blame his limited cranial horsepower as the reason why he "OBVIOUSLY" was mistaken.

Most people (at least most DUers here) know that on the morning of 9/11,
shortly after WTC 1 was "attacked", Rumsfeld told a group of reporters that the Pentagon would also be hit. After it was, he made a statement in which he said that the Pentagon had been struck by a missile.

Are these two gentlemen psychics? I don't think so. And, I don't believe they "accidentally misspoke", either. I think both men INTENTIONALLY said what they did. In my opinion, they said what they did as a way of inoculating themselves...while preparing the public in case of the unthinkable: the public learning the truth about what really happened.

[number6]

1. I think Bush is a moron, he doesn't know what he's saying

Rumsfool, who knows ? I wouldn't put anything past him, he's evil.

[RH]

2. ...the Pentagon would also be hit?

"Rumsfeld told a group of reporters that the Pentagon would also be hit."

That is simply not correct, is it? Rumsfeld said nothing about the Pentagon being hit, and you should know that perfectly well by now, the quote has been repeated often enough.

Rumsfeld did say "`Let me tell ya, I've been around the block a few times. There will be another event." Nothing more than that.

We await your apology, Mr Linkman.

[Abe Linkman]

4. YOU owe DU readers an apology, Romey. Your accusations are false.

Here's what Rumsfeld said just a few minutes before the "attack" at the Pentagon. The quote below is from Paul Thompson's 9/11 timeline.

Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defence, was in his office on the eastern side of the building, in a meeting with Christopher Cox, the defence policy committee chairman of the House of Representatives. Mr Rumsfeld, recalls Mr Cox, watched the TV coverage from New York and said: "Believe me, this isn't over yet. There's going to be another attack, and it could be us."

[Abe Linkman]

5. You should be more careful in your research before u accuse others.

Here's a little more from Paul Thompson's 9/11 Timeline. For NON-British DUers, the "Telegraph" is a newspaper in GB.


(9:38 a.m.) Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is in the Pentagon meeting with Representative Cox (R), and is apparently completely oblivious of the approaching Flight 77. As he watches TV coverage of the WTC, he says, "Believe me, this isn't over yet. There's going to be another attack, and it could be us." Supposedly, "moments later, the plane hit." Rumsfeld is apparently psychic, because two minutes before the first WTC crash and supposedly completely ignorant of the hijackings, he predicted a terrorist attack upon the US (see 8:44 a.m.). Rumsfeld's office is on the fourth floor of the Pentagon, relatively near the impact. He later says that just after the explosion, "I went downstairs and went outside. And around the corner and of course, there it was."

[MercutioATC]

8. That quote is a LOT different than what you posted, Abe.

"There's going to be another attack, and it could be us." is not the same as "Rumsfeld told a group of reporters that the Pentagon would also be hit.".

Paul has many of his basic facts correct, but he tends to cite articles that sensationalize the issues. I've had a discussion about it with him in the past.

[Abe Linkman]

9. How is it a "Lot" different, murk? Go ahead - parse your Truth.

Are you saying we can put you down as a supporter of Rumsfeld as being a psychic? There's certainly much to say for it, so I can see why you might support that notion.

[MercutioATC]

10. You don't see the difference between "could" and "would"?

COULD:

Used to indicate possibility or probability.


WOULD:

Used to indicate likelihood or certainty.


That's what Webster's says, anyway...

[Abe Linkman]

11. That's your parse? No 1 ever said Rumsfeld is as articulate as you are.

You couldn't refute the gist of what Rumsfeld was saying, so that means you're fully in the "Rumsfeld is psychic" category -- is that right?

[MercutioATC]

12. Why, thank you Abe!

You claim his statement shows he knew what would happen (...the Pentagon "WOULD" also be hit).

I claim his statement shows he thought the Pentagon might be a target ("...it COULD be us").

It's not even a fine distinction. The two statements have substantially different meanings and the quote YOU provided ("WOULD") isn't even what Runsfeld really said.

[RH]

14. "Could be"

is not "would be"

Anybody could just as well have said the same.

[Abe Linkman]

18. You acknowledged you were wrong. No apology necessary.

Just because you were so arrogantly wrong doesn't mean you aren't entitled to give your opinion. You CAN'T be wrong if you wanted to be, if you're just giving an opinion.

So - which is it?

Rumsfeld is a Psychic? Inoculation doctor? Both?


ditto Bunnypants

[RH]

3. .... the Pentagon had been struck by a missile?

"he made a statement in which he said that the Pentagon had been struck by a missile."

That is simply not correct, is it? Rumsfeld made no such statement, and you should know that perfectly well by now, the quote has been repeated often enough.

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2001/t11182001_t1012pm.html

Rumsfeld did say "Here we're talking about plastic knives and using an American Airlines flight filed with our citizens, and the missile to damage this building and similar (inaudible) that damaged the World Trade Center." Nothing more than that.

Obviously enough this was a comment to set the context rather than any sort of definitive statement.

In the same article he said he "Asked a person who'd seen it, and he told me that a plane had flown into it."

It would therefore be disingenuous to say the least to make out that he denied the fact, would it not?

"and" is an inclusive conjuction. Rumsfeld patently did not say "Here we're talking about the missile to damage this building, not an American Airlines flight filed with our citizens".

By the same token he presumably did not intend to imply that plastic knives were not used aboard American Airlines jets. His comment would not even necessarily imply that hijackers used plastic knives, albeit that why at that stage he referred to plastic knives may be a much more fruitful line of enquiry!

He merely defined the context, as if to emphasise the impact of the event, not to emphasis the impact of a missile. There was no evidence of any missile apart from the American Airlines Flight, nor is there now.

We await your retraction, Mr Linkman.

[LARED]

6. Huh?

they said what they did as a way of inoculating themselves

Assuming for a moment they knew, how does saying this inoculate them - and inoculate them from what?

[MercutioATC]

7. You don't understand, LARED??

Rumsfeld obviously said what he said so when it's discovered a missile really DID hit the Pentagon, he can say "Hey! I always SAID it was a missile..."

...which would, of course, exonerate him of any wrongdoing.


:crazy:

[LARED]

17. You sir -

are a genuis. :toast:

[Abe Linkman]

13. Reminder: A clever psychic avoids being too specific.

So, DUers who might have been reluctant to go with their gut feelings about Rumsfeld being psychic, take heart. Just because his prediction didn't include every single detail of the coming "attack", that doesn't mean it's wrong to say he wasn't being psyhic about 9/11.

[RH]

15. You're not hurting Rumsfeld

You go around making something of nothing, talking as if you had some kind of serious evidence of a criminal conspiracy.

People take an interest.

Then they eventually read the actual quotes.

Then they think "Is that all there is" and it sits in the waste bin.

Get real.

If you had something against him to stand up in court of law all here would be delighted. Being silly about it backfires.

[Abe Linkman]

19. Maybe you should contact Rumsfeld & tell him to be very, very specific...

the next time he makes a prediction about something as potentially headline-making as the 9/11 self-attacks.

I'm sure he'd be glad to hear from someone who is able to get his points across so clearly, in plain English, as you do.

[LARED]

16. Please clarify

Are you saying Rumsfeld truly has psychic abilities and was making a prediction on purpose or even perhaps inadvertently,

or,

was Rumsfeld saying this to inoculate himself from something?

Or is this just a silly distraction?