What's Rumsfeld doing with his free time?

[Moneyguy1]

Of other less friendly countries, I hope....

[m21sniper]

Wow, Fintstone, by what criteria have you arrived at that decision?

[74-911]

Originally posted by techweenie
I'm sure the worst Sec Def in history is shopping for a nice suit to wear when Dubya gives him his Medal of Freedom.

Agree. And Wolfowitz and Bremmer (the other two main architects of this fiasco) will be polishing up their well deserved medals to display at Rummy's ceremony.

[fintstone]

Originally posted by m21sniper
Wow, Fintstone, by what criteria have you arrived at that decision?

I worked for the man. He is brilliant. I have yet to see anyone that worked harder for his country...against almost impossible odds. He has done quite well with the situation he was given. He has been a target for both the press and liberal for years, yet has remained resolute and served his country well. His plans to modernize the Army to make it faster, more lethal, and more modern have been proved absolutely correct and have saved many lives...in spite of the old guard, cold war mentality of the Army when he started. They were stuck somewhere between Vietnam and the Cold War...both of which were long past. Change is hard and it made enemies of those entrenched in the old paradigm. He was not trying to make friends....he was trying to save soldiers lives and provide the best and most appropriate military for this country. He spent almost his entire life serving his country. We could use a lot more people in government like him.

[charleskieffner]

he is on his new mexico ranch.

[m21sniper]

Originally posted by 74-911
Agree. And Wolfowitz and Bremmer (the other two main architects of this fiasco) will be polishing up their well deserved medals to display at Rummy's ceremony.

Don't forget MacGregor.

[m21sniper]

Originally posted by fintstone
[B]I worked for the man. He is brilliant.

Brilliant, and by all accounts arrogant beyond words, and almost impossible to get to change his mind, or convince he's wrong. And combative. And vindictive.

I have yet to see anyone that worked harder for his country...against almost impossible odds.

What impossible odds?

And i'd dare say the average E-1 infantryman works everybit as hard for this nation as any suit wearing civvie does. And unlike Rumnamara, he might actually get shot for his troubles....and for about 7-8% of the pay.

He has done quite well with the situation he was given.

It seems as if the top generals who've spoken out totally disagree. For my part, i think he's totally botched the entire war effort with his insistence on such a small force.

He has been a target for both the press and liberal for years, yet has remained resolute and served his country well.

Yes to the first two, i simply cannot agree with the third part.

His plans to modernize the Army to make it faster, more lethal, and more modern have been proved absolutely correct and have saved many lives...

To the contrary, Transformation has been largely discredited, as has his concept of information replacing mass on the battlefield. Baghdad was not taken by a "light" Stryker force using superior information to replace mass, it was taken by US Army LEGACY heavy forces that blasted their way straight into the heart of Baghdad and then took and held it against all comers.(not that Stryker did anything but make the Army heavier and less strategically mobile, but that's another issue entirely)
You may have noticed that since OIF the M1 has regained the forefront, and is now being upgraded with both the M1D and M1 TUSK programs. You may have also noticed that Rummy's baby, FCS, is about 500% overbudget, and most of the program will probably never see the light of day.

in spite of the old guard, cold war mentality of the Army when he started.

The circa 1991 cold war US Army is the most powerful fighting force ever assembled by man, and it was the tools of that war that smashed their way straight into the seat of Saddam's power and snatched it away.

They were stuck somewhere between Vietnam

You mean 'they' actually LEARNED the lessons of Vietnam, unlike your boy?

and the Cold War...both of which were long past.

In terms of historical perspective the cold war ended yesterday. It is hardly a 'long past' event.

Change is hard

And often needless.

and it made enemies of those entrenched in the old paradigm.

You mean the old paradigm that resulted in several straight crushing military victories for the US in a row? Including the biggest mechanized operation the US has undertaken since WWII? I like the "old paradigm" (of overwhelming physical force) just fine thanx.

He was not trying to make friends....

"Mission accomplished."

he was trying to save soldiers lives and provide the best and most appropriate military for this country.

By sending in an utterly inadequate force? By endlessly pressuring Franks to strip the proposed and reccomended force to the bone? By nixing TPFDL? By "Off-Ramping" 1st Cavalry and 1st Infantry immediately after the fall of Baghdad and not deploying them? By having virtually NO viable "Phase four" plan after going out of his way to fight for the responsibility, and keep it away from State? By endlessly stating we didn't need more troops, and that the military didn't need to be enlarged?

Donald Rumnamara snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and in my estimation he is the second worse SecDef since the founding of DoD. I say good riddance to him, and so do the overwhelming majority of the American people.

He spent almost his entire life serving his country. We could use a lot more people in government like him.

Thank GOD there aren't more people like him 'serving us'. We could never survive it.

Fintstone, your guy has us staring dead in the eyes of defeat.

[fastpat]

Rumsfeld is a collossal failure, and will deservedly go down as the worst Secretary of Defense in US government history.

fintstone does virtually none of what he says he does.

[fintstone]

Originally posted by m21sniper
Brilliant, and by all accounts arrogant beyond words, and almost impossible to get to change his mind, or convince he's wrong. And combative. And vindictive. ....

I really don't know where you got any of your info...although bits and pieces are factual, it is twisted such that pretty much is all incorrect...other than it being hard to change his mind or convince him that he is wrong...which is correct....because he always did his homework very thoroughly...and was usually right. If he changed his mind and took the wrong path more often...would you consider him a better SecDef?

I am curious about which of his "top generals" you cite that have spoken out about his conduct of the war. I don't know any.

[svandamme]

Alex, i'll take "a totally confused and untrue statement regarding Donald Rumsfeld" for 400 dollars please

Originally posted by fintstone
and was usually right.

i'de ROFLMAO if it did't mean so many dead people as a result of it..

[cool_chick]

Holy *****.

I 100% agree with Snipe. Good God!

[fintstone]

Originally posted by svandamme
Alex, i'll take "a totally confused and untrue statement regarding Donald Rumsfeld" for 400 dollars please

i'de ROFLMAO if it did't mean so many dead people as a result of it..

Hey...I posted one just before your post. Do you want to field it?

Here is another? How about Rumsfeld canceling the $11B Crusader...that is what got the panties in a wad of Shinseki and the Army brass. Just exactly why was that money not spent better on Special Ops, Predators...or anything?

[fintstone]

Originally posted by cool_chick
Holy *****.

I 100% agree with Snipe. Good God!

Great! That is confirmation for me and a clear message that Snipe needs to review his post.

[cool_chick]

Originally posted by fintstone
Great! That is confirmation for me and a clear message that Snipe needs to review his post.

Happy Holidays to you too, bud.

You're pretty much all alone in this country on your "assessment".....you'd be hard pressed to find anyone, including the highest ranks of the military, to embrace that "assessment" of yours.

[fintstone]

I won't tell you how to do IT if you won't tell me how to do a war.

I talk to the guys you refer to daily. It would actually be more difficult to find someone who does not agree...although some do not. I'll bet you cannot even name one.
It is not a problem with the military or military leadership...including Rumsfeld. The problem is that we are using military to do things that are intrinsically not military, but rather, more a type of policing. Clearly we rapidly won the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Playing terrorism police is almost impossible. Especially when there is zero tolerance for spending money, losing troops or collateral damage.

Merry Christmas!

[Moneyguy1]

It is getting increasingly lonely on Bizzaro World, I imagine....

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
It is getting increasingly lonely on Bizzaro World, I imagine....

Ever get the idea that what fintstone's real "employment" is is that of a war gamer, and sits alone all day playing his war games, and then posts his interpretation of the results here?

He's certainly out of touch with reality.

[fintstone]

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
It is getting increasingly lonely on Bizzaro World, I imagine....

Yes. I am lonely. It is difficult to be a patriot these days.

[nostatic]

a patriot missle? better to be a swelling missle of love...

[fastpat]

Originally posted by fintstone
Yes. I am lonely. It is difficult to be a patriot these days.

No, I'm finding increasingly easy to be patriotic. If you were a patriot, you'd find lots of company.

You're not a patriot, as I've stated before, you love the government, you dispise America.