Rumsfeld, Stay Home and Shut Up For God’s Sake!

The earliest reports about Rummy’s surprise Christmas Eve visit to Iraq to cheer and encourage our soldiers included the following quote, “In 10 to 20 years, when you’re an old man like me, you will be able to look back and know you have been involved in something historic, something important.” Within two hours, the quote had been edited to leave out “when you’re an old man like me”. Within four hours the news stories used phrases like, “he said that later on” the men would look back”, etc. At this writing, the quotes about looking back are hard to find. We read that it’s difficult for Rummy to sleep at night for worrying about the troops. We read that the situation may look bleak at times but he’s confident our soldiers will crush the insurgents. We read that major conflicts always have naysayers and doubters. We read that Rumsfeld shares the grief of people who lose loved ones. We are told he is truly saddened anyone would think he has not properly protected our troops. But the line about soldiers looking back when they are old and knowing they were part of something historic is being buried. And the part about “old like me”, has been lost altogether. The managed news we all read is edited to make the White House and the war in Iraq look as valiant and heroic as possible. Those editors who rewrite history must have had the same visceral feeling of disgust as I did when reading that Rumsfeld told our soldiers they would eventually understand they’d been part of something historic. And into the bargain, it’s ludicrous he said they’d be old like he is in 10 or 20 years...if they’re alive they’ll be 40 or 50. As the managed news guys immediately realized, it’s a terrible PR blunder for Rummy to remind the public he’s 72 years old and is way-way-way past it. He did the same thing in his horrific performance on December 8th when he made the statement about going to war with the Army you have. He said to the troops querying him, “Now, settle down, settle down. Hell, I'm an old man, it's early in the morning and I'm gathering my thoughts here." That cannot be denied. Donald Rumsfeld is an inept, ineffective, stubborn old man. Rumsfeld was talking to men in Mosul where the December 21 attack on a mess tent killed 15 American soldiers. It’s offensive to tell these men that they’ll look back and be proud to be part of something historic. Many won’t look back because they’ll be dead. And this unnecessary war is only historic and important because it’s a criminal act of global aggression of unprecedented proportions. After spreading cheer and encouragement and reminding the men that they are winning his unwinnable unholy unnecessary war, Rumsfeld wished the soldiers a Merry Christmas.