| User | Post |
Zarathud
Posts: 31/55 |
Well yeah, I'm about the only guy you know who's been around here before and would actually defend Don Rumsfeld when nobody else will. Plus the Jerkcity avatar. |
hhallahh
Posts: 473/607 |
If you valued your anonymity so, you shouldn't have put your birthday in your profile.  But I would've guessed it was you anyways. |
Zarathud
Posts: 24/55 |
"$200 billion going to Iraq, and none of the spending is discretionary for the Department of Defense? Wow, Congress had more power than I knew."
DoD writes up a budget for all the items they want, and then that great sausage factory on the hill has at it and makes whatever changes they see fit. And here's another stupid fact: the DoD never plans for operations in the annual defense budget. They only plan to buy new hardware and to train and take care of their own personnel. Every time an actual war/conflict comes along, the Pentagon has to go running to Congress for supplementals. Stupid, ain't it?
"He's not new. It's Matt! D:< Now I can be torn apart on a weekly basis and/or get in long, frustrating pointless arguments! Not that it makes me love him any less."
Shit! I've been outed! But hey, at least I'm feelin' the love rather than fearing the lynchmob...
Yeah, I tend to register here every eight months or so just out of pure boredom. Most people here would barely remember me anyway I'm sure. |
hhallahh
Posts: 469/607 |
Originally posted by Zarathud
2) "The Pentagon is spending $4.1 billion over the next year to add armor to vehicles in Iraq. Sorenson said 35,000 of them need armored protection, of which 29,000 have been funded by Congress." Yeah, that's right. The reason 6,000 Humvees haven't been armoured yet is because the hypocrites in congress haven't coughed up the money for it.
$200 billion going to Iraq, and none of the spending is discretionary for the Department of Defense? Wow, Congress had more power than I knew.
Originally posted by |+Legion+|/i>
Whoah, this new guy kicks ass.
He's not new. It's Matt! D:< Now I can be torn apart on a weekly basis and/or get in long, frustrating pointless arguments! Not that it makes me love him any less. |
Arwon
Posts: 236/506 |
It should probably also be pointed out that if Rumsfeld went, the track record of the Bush admin shows that he'd be replaced by someone else.
Probably Wolfowitz. |
Zarathud
Posts: 4/55 |
Awww, I bet you say that to all the girls. 
*checks pants* Err, oh shit, wait... |
Legion
Posts: 3405/5657 |
Whoah, this new guy kicks ass.  |
Zarathud
Posts: 1/55 |
Rumsfeld is callous, no doubt about it. But all the people calling for his head over this kinda leave me scratching my own, since 1) the soldier who asked the question and the reporter who hand-fed it to him were either uninformed (unlikely) or not being totally honest, and 2) any shortfalls in armour have more to do with congress than the DoD.
To wit, the Tennessean reports:
1) "Army Maj. Gen. Stephen Speakes and Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, senior members of the Army's combat systems development and acquisition team at the Pentagon, said protective armor plates were added to the last 20 vehicles of the Tennessee-based 278th Regimental Combat Team's 830 vehicles shortly after the exchange with Rumsfeld." Yeah, that's right. They'd already been up-armoring the regiment's humvees for weeks before the guy even asked the question, and within a day of the press conference the remaining 20 were done. I smell something here and it ain't roses.
2) "The Pentagon is spending $4.1 billion over the next year to add armor to vehicles in Iraq. Sorenson said 35,000 of them need armored protection, of which 29,000 have been funded by Congress." Yeah, that's right. The reason 6,000 Humvees haven't been armoured yet is because the hypocrites in congress haven't coughed up the money for it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a huge fan of Rummy, I think the man needs to stay away from cameras, and I think he'll be remembered as a mediocre SecDef. But I don't think he's terrible either, and I know this whole thing reeks of dishonest scapegoating (fixing the blame rather than the problem). If you care enough about this stuff to bash Rummy for it, I suggest writing to your representative about funding for army basics like armour and whatnot instead. It'd be more constructive. |
Rydain
Posts: 352/738 |
Rummy just doesn't get it, does he? According to this BBC article. he did not personally sign over 1000 letters of condolence sent to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq. The letters were signed by machine. Talk about disrespectful... |
Kefka
Posts: 2379/3392 |
I'm pretty sure that you all will appreciate this Daily Show segment.
It shows Stewart's view on the man...
The segment is named "F'd Troop"
It has those questions asked to Rumsfeld
Oh, and if it starts out with Ellen Degeneres, that is just an ad. Wait out the 14 seconds and then the segment will come.
EDIT:
This one segment is in the same Daily Show episode, and it immediately followed the one before.
Just for added humor. |
alte Hexe
Posts: 1903/5458 |
Vladmir Putin!
Not only is he leading equally bloody wars in Chechnya and Georgia in the name of Russian "freedom". He is also amassing troops in the Turkmenistani and former Soviet satellite states regions. His tampering with Ukrainian elections also pisses me off.
On a sccale of 1-10 Putin gets "Dirty Stalinist" for how much of a douche he is. |
Dracoon
Posts: 1870/3727 |
Wow... Yeah, I think he'll win hands down. That is just really stupid to say, no matter what he ment he didn't say it right. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 1405/3770 |
Originally posted by Arwon
HOW THE HELL IS HE NOT FIRED?
Ask Colin Powell... OH WAIT HE RESIGNED. |
Arwon
Posts: 229/506 |
HOW THE HELL IS HE NOT FIRED? |
MathOnNapkins
Posts: 1160/2189 |
If I had all the armor in the world I think I would not get blown up. Unless there is more blowy up stuff than armor. Then I would get blowed up. *sigh* |
hhallahh
Posts: 462/607 |
I liked his "you could have all the armor in the world and still get blown up" line. Yea, I know it's true, but it sounds arrogant as hell. |
Tamarin Calanis
Posts: 203/1802 |
Originally posted by Trapster
Haha, I love when people asks questions that politicians and such people doesn
MathOnNapkins
Posts: 1154/2189 |
Well so I've heard this was a question planted by a journalist, but even that sounds fishy to me. You wouldn't have gotten the soldier to say it if he disagreed. Unless... there's something I'm missing about how military press conferences work.
Either way, regardless of whether the armor is adequate, I think you can take Rumsfeld's comment in the worst way or in the best way. The worst way is where you interpret it as being something like "tough." The best west (with regards to him) is that he was saying something like "Well, please be aware that resources are limited and we can't get everything for everyone all at once."
I tended to lean more toward the latter interpretation as I didn't think his tone was that assholish. On the other hand, he should have said something like "We are working very hard to fix that problem." And then he could make some kind of empty promise which would get some cheers. |
Ran-chan
Posts: 5795/12781 |
Haha, I love when people asks questions that politicians and such people doesn |
Legion
Posts: 3196/5657 |
Originally posted by Cheveyo Chowilawu
Finally, Leg, something I'm sure we can all agree on. My mom was yelling at the TV when she heard that. *shakes head* Then again, she yells at the TV a lot.
Maybe because my stepdad's in Afghanistan... yeah, that might be why it pissed her off so much. 
Hey hey, my dad is in Afghanistan. |
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