Rummy Gins Up Some B.S.
The old kook is really laying it on thick today:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday accused critics of the Bush administration's Iraq and counterterrorism policies of trying to appease "a new type of fascism."
In unusually explicit terms, Rumsfeld portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security and accused them of lacking the courage to fight back.
In remarks to several thousand veterans at the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failed efforts to appease the Adolf Hitler regime in the 1930s.
"I recount this history because once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.
The rest of the world feels the same way about American-style fascism.
Rumsfeld spoke to the American Legion as part of a coordinated White House strategy, in advance of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, to take the offensive against administration critics at a time of doubt about the future of Iraq and growing calls to withdraw U.S. troops.
Might as well take the offensive against critics of the war, since we are finding it impossible to gain any traction in Iraq. Lashing out from a position of impotence is pretty unseemly to all concerned.
Rumsfeld recalled a string of recent terrorist attacks, from 9/11 to bombings in Bali, London and Madrid, and said it should be obvious to anyone that terrorists must be confronted, not appeased.
It should also be obvious that we should not be adding unnecessary enemies and additional terrorists to those already lined up against us.
"But some seem not to have learned history's lessons," he said, adding that part of the problem is that the American news media have tended to emphasize the negative rather than the positive.
That's because there has been more negative than positive to cover, not because the military is somehow keeping all the good news secret.
He said, for example, that more media attention was given to U.S. soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib than to the fact that Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor.
Which does Rumsfeld think was more newsworthy? One man's heroism or a scandal that calls into question the American self-deception at the heart of the Iraq mission. Especially since he personally approved the permissive interrogation regime in Iraq.
Rumsfeld is said to be on his last legs as Defense Secretary, so he must have figured that he might as well take advantage of any last opportunity to cover his ass. The American Legion is a perfect audience for his twaddle, since they too have a vested interest in believing an untenable version of U.S. history.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday accused critics of the Bush administration's Iraq and counterterrorism policies of trying to appease "a new type of fascism."
In unusually explicit terms, Rumsfeld portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security and accused them of lacking the courage to fight back.
In remarks to several thousand veterans at the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failed efforts to appease the Adolf Hitler regime in the 1930s.
"I recount this history because once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.
The rest of the world feels the same way about American-style fascism.
Rumsfeld spoke to the American Legion as part of a coordinated White House strategy, in advance of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, to take the offensive against administration critics at a time of doubt about the future of Iraq and growing calls to withdraw U.S. troops.
Might as well take the offensive against critics of the war, since we are finding it impossible to gain any traction in Iraq. Lashing out from a position of impotence is pretty unseemly to all concerned.
Rumsfeld recalled a string of recent terrorist attacks, from 9/11 to bombings in Bali, London and Madrid, and said it should be obvious to anyone that terrorists must be confronted, not appeased.
It should also be obvious that we should not be adding unnecessary enemies and additional terrorists to those already lined up against us.
"But some seem not to have learned history's lessons," he said, adding that part of the problem is that the American news media have tended to emphasize the negative rather than the positive.
That's because there has been more negative than positive to cover, not because the military is somehow keeping all the good news secret.
He said, for example, that more media attention was given to U.S. soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib than to the fact that Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor.
Which does Rumsfeld think was more newsworthy? One man's heroism or a scandal that calls into question the American self-deception at the heart of the Iraq mission. Especially since he personally approved the permissive interrogation regime in Iraq.
Rumsfeld is said to be on his last legs as Defense Secretary, so he must have figured that he might as well take advantage of any last opportunity to cover his ass. The American Legion is a perfect audience for his twaddle, since they too have a vested interest in believing an untenable version of U.S. history.
posted by Effwit at 12:41 PM
11 Comments:
When the curtain comes down on this sack of withered balls he will be stamped a loser. The old man is buying time, saying anything to stay a foot or even a yard ahead of the passing of judgment. Loser of an ol' fart.
(Is their a pro sport coach that's kept his job with a record like ol' Saggy? BTW, where are the pro sports aficionados when you need 'em. Maybe they should be employed to commentate the wars at hand. These kooks would have been out of office years ago if the Howard Cosells were doing the play by plays instead of the hair conditioned network wimps.
BTW, R-dawg ain't no Churchy. The nerve of him to crossbrand himself like that. Churchy could drink. Rummy pretends to play squash. Actually he takes a secret undergroud tunnel from the squash court to a hardened quiche kitchen where he beats eggs. The secret service says it soothes his nerves.
M1:
Good point.
Professional sports announcers would never deign to describe the play-by-play of the U.S.' foreign adventures to viewers with the distortion of reality that the news people do.
It would be like telling the viewers that the Redskins just scored a touchdown when the opposing team just put the ball over the goal line.
And many a member of the Bush administration believes himself to be a Churchill. IIRC, President Bush actually has a bust of everyones half-American hero.
I'm still trying to figure what and where this "fascism" is that they've been mentioning so often lately. the only fascism I see has been orchestrated by the Bush administration in this country.
Fascism: A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
So, where's the fascism that Bush, Cheney, Rummy and the talking dorks at Faux News are speaking of? I guess they just figure that, since most Americans don't know what it means, that they'll just believe what they say.
Islamic fascists? Okay. Seems to me that most who would fit that description are ensconced leaders in "friendly" countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Hmmmm.
DrewL:
The administration's current preoccupation with "fascism" seems to be pure psycholocal projection.
Anyway, conservatives have historically sided with fascist regimes. As in the Middle Eastern examples you mentioned.
They have a certain convergence of values.
I also heard something today about many of the "Nazi appeasers" of the 1930s that Rumsfeld referred to. I'm not as knowledgeable on it as I'd like to be, but the basic premise is that it was mostly Republicans who were among Hitler's greatest "appeasers" in the U.S. Again, conservative support for fascist principles.
DrewL:
Quite right.
Not to mention the prominent Republicans that had business ties to the Nazis.
Like John Foster Dulles.
And Prescott Bush.
...er, is al candy a state entity now, being that it's gained fascist status?
M1:
Soon the caliphate will be one grand nation.
If Rummy, et al keep up the good work.
Well it worked for WalMart - one stop shopping with everything under one roof. I can dig it.
A somewhat challenged sage once said "It would certainly help with targeting."
Post a Comment
<< Home