Who let Rummy out of his cage?
Rummy was caught talking again, this time at the American Legion's national convention in Salt Lake City yesterday. According to the WaPo, Rummy likened his war on terror to WWII and the fight against the Nazis. [What planet is this guy on? If this was WWII it wouldn't it almost be over by now?]
Rummy warns: "Any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right and wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere." [Kind of sounds like something Hitler would have said.] According to the WaPo, "aides said later that Rumsfeld was not accusing the administration’s critics of trying to appease terrorists." Of course, not! Where would anyone get that idea? Besides, the Republicans know all about appeasing Hitler since most of them back in the 30's supported him and loathed FDR. [Like Prescott Bush for instance.]
Rummy then went on to accuse the media of spreading "myths and distortions" about the war and our troops. He's partly right about that. Before the war the media spread all kinds of myth and distortions, coming mainly from the pentagon and him personally. Remember, when he said "We know where they are. [the WMD] They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."
Rummy assured everyone, though, that W. "remains the same man who stood atop the rubble of lower Manhattan, with a bullhorn, vowing to fight back." [If only he'd read that Bin Laden memo!) Unfortunately, he's also the same man who flew over the rubble of New Orleans, that's the problem Rummy.
Rummy then went on to quote the WWI French president, Georges Clemenceau, who said war was "a series of catastrophes that result in victory." That certainly describes what Rummy's two wars have looked like so far -- except for the 'victory' part -- but didn't Clemenceau's war also wipe out an entire generation of Europeans in a bloody holocaust of trench-warfare? Is Rummy sure he shouldn't have quoted Jacques Clouseau instead?
After Rummy was done with his Hitlarian rant, Condi followed up by saying: "The dream of some, that we could avoid this conflict, that we did not have to take sides in this battle in the Middle East, that dream was demolished on September the 11th." (Never miss an opportunity to pull that one out Condi!)
Which side we chose is obvious: Israel's! Which conflict she's referring to, though, is a mystery. Is it Iraq? Because we could have avoided that one pretty easily, all we had to do was not invade. Or is she talking about Iran? We can still avoid that disaster. I find it funny she used the word "demolished," so soon after presiding over the pulverizing of 15,000 buildings, hundreds of bridges and roads and power plants in Lebanon. Sadly, her strong backing for so many knuckle-headed polices have demolished a lot more than just dreams. Iraq and Lebanon are monuments to her blunders and mistruths.
Since Rummy brought the subject of Hitler up:
I thought it would be interesting to check out some quotes from Hitler and Co: (Pick a quote and match the neocon)
From William Shirer's the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich:
"I live only for the purpose of leading this fight because I know that if there is not an iron will behind it, the battle cannot be won." Hitler: 31 August 1944 [Rummy?]
"Certain unreliable elements seem to believe that the war will be over for them when they surrender to the enemy. Every deserter. . . will find his just punishment." Himmler 1945 [Rummy?]
Some notes from German Chief of the General Staff Franz Halder on Hitler before he was fired during the Russian campaign:
"The continual underestimation of enemy possibilities takes on grotesque forms and is becoming dangerous. Serious work has become impossible here. Pathological reactions to momentary impressions and a complete lack of capacity to assess the situation and its possibilities give this so-called "leadership" a most particular character.
Hitler’s decisions had ceased to have anything in common with the principles of strategy and operations as they have been recognized for generations past. There were the product of a violent nature following momentary impulses, which recognized no limits to possibility and made its wishdreams the father of its acts. . . "
[page 1198]
Once when a quite objective report was read to him [about the dire situation on the Russian front]. . . Hitler flew at the man who was reading with clenched fists and foam at the corner of his mouth and forbade him to read any more of such idiotic twaddle." [David Addington?]
When Hitler fired Halder he told him, "We need National Socialist ardor now, not professional ability. I cannot expect this of an officer of the old-school such as you." [Definitely Rummy to Shinseki]
"So spoke," Halder wrote, "not a responsible warlord but a political fanatic." [page 1199] [W.]
Rummy warns: "Any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right and wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere." [Kind of sounds like something Hitler would have said.] According to the WaPo, "aides said later that Rumsfeld was not accusing the administration’s critics of trying to appease terrorists." Of course, not! Where would anyone get that idea? Besides, the Republicans know all about appeasing Hitler since most of them back in the 30's supported him and loathed FDR. [Like Prescott Bush for instance.]
Rummy then went on to accuse the media of spreading "myths and distortions" about the war and our troops. He's partly right about that. Before the war the media spread all kinds of myth and distortions, coming mainly from the pentagon and him personally. Remember, when he said "We know where they are. [the WMD] They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."
Rummy assured everyone, though, that W. "remains the same man who stood atop the rubble of lower Manhattan, with a bullhorn, vowing to fight back." [If only he'd read that Bin Laden memo!) Unfortunately, he's also the same man who flew over the rubble of New Orleans, that's the problem Rummy.
Rummy then went on to quote the WWI French president, Georges Clemenceau, who said war was "a series of catastrophes that result in victory." That certainly describes what Rummy's two wars have looked like so far -- except for the 'victory' part -- but didn't Clemenceau's war also wipe out an entire generation of Europeans in a bloody holocaust of trench-warfare? Is Rummy sure he shouldn't have quoted Jacques Clouseau instead?
After Rummy was done with his Hitlarian rant, Condi followed up by saying: "The dream of some, that we could avoid this conflict, that we did not have to take sides in this battle in the Middle East, that dream was demolished on September the 11th." (Never miss an opportunity to pull that one out Condi!)
Which side we chose is obvious: Israel's! Which conflict she's referring to, though, is a mystery. Is it Iraq? Because we could have avoided that one pretty easily, all we had to do was not invade. Or is she talking about Iran? We can still avoid that disaster. I find it funny she used the word "demolished," so soon after presiding over the pulverizing of 15,000 buildings, hundreds of bridges and roads and power plants in Lebanon. Sadly, her strong backing for so many knuckle-headed polices have demolished a lot more than just dreams. Iraq and Lebanon are monuments to her blunders and mistruths.
Since Rummy brought the subject of Hitler up:
I thought it would be interesting to check out some quotes from Hitler and Co: (Pick a quote and match the neocon)
From William Shirer's the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich:
"I live only for the purpose of leading this fight because I know that if there is not an iron will behind it, the battle cannot be won." Hitler: 31 August 1944 [Rummy?]
"Certain unreliable elements seem to believe that the war will be over for them when they surrender to the enemy. Every deserter. . . will find his just punishment." Himmler 1945 [Rummy?]
Some notes from German Chief of the General Staff Franz Halder on Hitler before he was fired during the Russian campaign:
"The continual underestimation of enemy possibilities takes on grotesque forms and is becoming dangerous. Serious work has become impossible here. Pathological reactions to momentary impressions and a complete lack of capacity to assess the situation and its possibilities give this so-called "leadership" a most particular character.
Hitler’s decisions had ceased to have anything in common with the principles of strategy and operations as they have been recognized for generations past. There were the product of a violent nature following momentary impulses, which recognized no limits to possibility and made its wishdreams the father of its acts. . . "
[page 1198]
Once when a quite objective report was read to him [about the dire situation on the Russian front]. . . Hitler flew at the man who was reading with clenched fists and foam at the corner of his mouth and forbade him to read any more of such idiotic twaddle." [David Addington?]
When Hitler fired Halder he told him, "We need National Socialist ardor now, not professional ability. I cannot expect this of an officer of the old-school such as you." [Definitely Rummy to Shinseki]
"So spoke," Halder wrote, "not a responsible warlord but a political fanatic." [page 1199] [W.]
posted by William Duane at 7:03 PM
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