Stormin' Norm rips Rumsfeld

[maxrandb]

http://www.nydailynews.com/12-14-2004/news/story/261966p-224309c.html

The Backlash Cometh. God what Karma it would be if Rumsfailed is run out of town on a rail. Used to say that we could end up with someone worse, but I just don't think that is possible.

Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf said yesterday he was "angry" at Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's response to a soldier who complained he and his fellow grunts in Iraq lack sufficient armor plating. And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a Vietnam War hero, reiterated that he has "no confidence" in the Pentagon boss.

After a soldier told Rumsfeld that he and his fellow servicemen must scrounge for metal to better fortify their Humvees, the secretary told him, "You go to war with the Army you have." That response didn't sit well with the former general.

"They deserve every bit of protection we can give them," Schwarzkopf scowled in an interview with "Hardball" host Chris Matthews on MSNBC. "I was very, very disappointed - let me put it stronger - I was angry by the words of the secretary of defense."

More than half of the more than 1,200 U.S. troops killed in Iraq have come from insurgent attacks on the vehicles.

"When he laid it all on the Army, I mean, as if he as the secretary of defense didn't have anything to do with it, the Army was over there doing it themselves screwing up," Schwarzkopf said.

[Deja Q]

1. Does our quaint little speedy Gonzales have a brother?

Oh, make no bones about it. There could easily be worse folks than Rumsfeld. All Rumdrinker did was to get back at the man he once shook hands with.

[gratuitous]

2. Okay, pool starts here: What dread disease does Schwartzkopf have?

And how soon will he be shuffling off his mortal coil? The only time a Republican tells the truth for publication is when he's out the door or dying, and Norman's been out the door but continuing to lie his fat ass off for years. He's gotta have cancer of some sort, and will be dead before the NBA playoffs are over.

[nashville_brook]

9. my thought exactly n/t

[MADem]

30. He was treated for prostate cancer

Several years ago. He's much thinner than he was during the war. The physical readiness standards never seemed to apply to him.

I'm a bit irritated at Norman, frankly. He told us there was "no release" of any chemical weapons, when there was, during GW1.

Those of us who don't feel so hot nowadays have him to thank. They've wasted ten years and more telling us we've imagined things, only to have a crazy little big-eared sumbitch from Texas (H. Ross Perot) definitively prove them all wrong.

So screw Norman. He's jumped the shark.

[radfringe]

31. well, that's what he says today

tomorrow he will be crawling into bush*'s office offering to kiss his butt

I heard he's going for collagen injections in his lips this afternoon -- bigger lips means he can kiss butt even faster

[Jose Diablo]

47. He seems despondent doesn't he?

I must be all the pressure he is undegoing with the operation and all.

[LynnTheDem]

3. Norm has ALWAYS trashed Rummy; AND he was OPPOSED to Iraq invasion

As most top military brass were.

Norman Schwarzkopf - Four Star General:

"The general who commanded U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War says he hasn't seen enough evidence to convince him that his old comrades Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and Paul Wolfowitz are correct in moving toward a new war now. He thinks U.N. inspections are still the proper course to follow. He's worried about the cockiness of the U.S. war plan, and even more by the potential human and financial costs of occupying Iraq….(And don't get him started on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld)"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A52450-2003Jan27?language=printer

Col. Mike Turner (ret), Schwarzkopf's personal briefing officer during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm:

“The uniformed Joint Staff in the Pentagon strongly opposed this plan early on...The uniformed Joint Staff was overridden, yet in so many horrifying ways this operation resembles Somalia, not Desert Storm...Perhaps we can pull this off, but here's a far worse scenario that's at least as likely...Photos of American soldiers amid landscapes of Iraqi civilian bodies blanket the world press which aligns unanimously against the US. The US is condemned by NATO and the UN...The war ends within a few weeks, but the crisis deepens...”

http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/transcripts/2003/mar/030311.turner.html

[gratuitous]

5. Oh golly, you're right

How could I have forgotten Norman's brave stand during the 2004 campaign, when he publicly broke with the Republican Party and stood foursquare against the Bush Doctrine, getting on all those talk shows and touring all over the country (particularly the red states) to tell people just how damaging the Bush administration was to the military and national security?

I can't believe I don't remember that at all! What's happening to my memory?

[LynnTheDem]

8. He spoke out opposing the invasion of Iraq, as did many top brass

And the US Stenomedia refused to have them on; over 85% of the commentators on the telly were pro-war.

Again, blame the US Stenopmedia. It's a wonder Norman's opposition remarks were published by ANY media in the Soviet States of America.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. He did but then he backtracked shortly after those articles

[0007]

26. Everyone broke ranks with junior except the goddamn fundamentalist

and the vote counters.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

12. True

Norm was openly critical of their shenanigans long ago.

[Bush was AWOL]

51. Norm also campaigned for Bush!

and was very critical of Kerry.

[xultar]

4. The WH Spin on Norman, he's an old dude with shrapnel still in his head

he's got PTSD, Alzheimer's, Aids and has illegitimate children by a black woman who works as a crack-Ho who is on welfare.

[bigtime]

14. yes, very shortly

you can expect Wolf Blitzer to comment on some "funny business" in Norm's private life.

[maxrandb]

27. And

if he earned any Purple Hearts, they were probably "self-inflicted" or just little scratches that could be covered with a purple heart bandaid.

Any medals for valor or action in combat were mistakes made by the Army at the time. He wrote up those awards himself, and if the truth was known he would have been court-martialed vice given an award, and even if he did get the award, the combat was not really that intense, or he simply shot a little kid in the back as he was running away.

Do I need to go on?

[flordehinojos]

6. Schwarzjkopf better watch his tongue or the bushies will appear him

suicided one of these days...neither poppy, mommy nor the bushie himself can stand any criticism of themselves or of each of the other.
In criticism Rumsfeld Schwarzkopf is indirectly criticizing the bushies.

[Algorem]

7. President Cheney has decided his old co-conpirator Rumsfeld has be-

come a liability to him becoming president in 2009(or sooner) so he's using a couple of his flunkies to start the process.It's been good to at least hardly ever hear from Swarzkoff("Pimple"in German)for the last few years.Or not.The way people believe Cheney doesn't want to be president because he says he doesn't is pretty funny,though.

[rodeodance]

11. First McGain, then Lugar, now Storming Nomin'--whow

This is a new rash of outspoken Repub. since the armour incident!!
Let hope they keep it up and add some more.

[henslee]

10. What next? Gushing praise of Rummy by OBL on a Aj Jazeera tape?

[rodeodance]

15. If Rummy crumbles so does the war--is what I am thinking-therefore

the WH had to keep him on in his post. And will continue to do so!!

[koopie57]

13. When I think about all the times

Schwarzkopf, McCain and other who knew what was really at stake could have stood up and maybe stopped this before it started I get angry, but now is better than later. But, damnit, these people knew all along the real story and they sat back and did nothing or even did things to make it worse. Now, when if they don't say anything their reputations will be on the line, now they speak up. They better be having nightmares like I'm having over this. Or worse, like the vets are having.

[barb162]

17. I think it is better when high-up military types speak out as they are

"experts" in how these things are done. Maybe some people will start rethinking their great GOP leaders

[MADem]

33. A military hero can become a schmuck

...with the wave of the LameStream Media magic wand.

Eric Shinseki, first Asian American Army Chief of Staff, one of the Joint Chiefs, honored, respected....then crapped upon. They quickly welded him to Clinton's penis, and shoved him out the door.

There are a ton of non-famous, fairly senior types who got the same treatment immediately upon the assumption of power by the boyking at the start of the decade. The number of letters that started out "Subject: Request For Resignation" became a veritable blizzard as the sane people who were able to go, left, posthaste. At the time, before 9/11, they were happy to shove the 'insufficiently GOP' bastards over the side; now, it does not matter if you are a card carrying commie, you can't even get out if you've got a terminal illness, so long as you can do something, anything. The sickos are all over the headquarters commands, backfilling billets for the connected, politically correct active guys who have "safe" (or certainly safer than some) jobs in Kuwait, Quatar, and the most secure sectors of the green zone--the better to make them more competitive for promotion without actually getting shot at (Gee, I went to war....sorta, kinda...hell, I qualified for the tax break!!! Close enough!!! Gimme some medals!!!). All the while, the poor bastards doing the ducking and running are getting crapped upon for complaining about not having the right equipment. It's a disgraceful, insane situation. You've got to feel for the poor kids who have been trained to respond positively to orders, and who are suddenly receiving guidance that doesn't make a damn bit of sense.

You know it's bad when they recall a SEVENTY YEAR OLD doctor who has a specialty in gunshot wounds and facial reconstruction...and not to backfill a stateside billet either. They're sending the codger, sidearm strapped to his waist, to the friken sandbox to do "Golden Hour" work. It's absolutely stunning. There will be a draft if this shit keeps up--of doctors, nurses, and medical support personnel. The military is standing on VERY shaky legs right now, and they can't keep dredging up reserve and retired assets to make it happen for them--they are scraping down pretty low as it is, and if they are going to go full-bore, they'll either have to find themselves more mercenaries or fight this police action labeled by weecowboy as a 'war' in an entirely different fashion.

[barb162]

36. I have been listening to various retired military generals

and colonels on TV and they are all basically agreeing with Norman S. I think this will be interesting as it plays out, except for the one disgusting fact that American military on the front line are getting killed and injured while the shrubster and Rummie hem and haw.

Notice a few days ago that company that rearmors the humvees has now been okayed by the Pentagon to do more work. Rummie looked like an idiot on that one.

The latest NBC/ Wall Street Journal Poll shows Rummie's approval rating at 34% and it's slipping. This was just on my local Chicago news 5 minutes ago. And they also showed McCain trashing Rummie. The story has some legs.

I don't see how a draft can be avoided.

[pokercat999]

41. FUBAR

Fucked up beyond all repair.....situation normal

[LuminousX]

18. My Take on Rumsfeld (A Lesson From Dune)

Folks, I think we are going to get a Good Cop/Bad Cop bait and switch here.

See... think of Rumsfeld as The Beast Rabban and McCain as the beautiful Feyd-Rautha, the savior of the people. Yes, we are being geared up to hate Rumsfeld and look at McCain as the kindly leader who will come in and make things all right for everyone. All the while we are failing to see the true evil behind all of this is Bush (aka Baron Harkonnen).

[Mist]

20. I would add that surely Cheyney is Harkonnen?

[LuminousX]

22. The whole BFEE is Harkonnen

My only question is: Who are the Atreides in this scenario?

Or maybe more appropriately, if this scenario does mirror art, how can we insert an Atreides figure into the mix. Can Kerry's visit to Iraq help along those lines?

[Larry in KC]

35. Clearly, it's Wesley Clark

[Bouncy Ball]

45. OMG you gotta love a person

who can put a geo-political situation in terms of "Dune!" LOL!

[grasswire]

39. yes...

...remember that Schwarzkopf is a business partner of Old Man Bush in the Carlyle Group. Thick as thieves, they are.

[A Simple Game]

44. Then the really scary question is.

Who is the Emperor?

Is the reverend mother Jerry or Pat?

[goforit]

19. Well General Schwartzkoff?......What the hell are ya gonna do about it!

This pisses me off even more!!!!

These dumb ass Generals don't even know when they are under
a tyrranny!!!!

THIS IS NOT AMERICA A-N-Y M-O-R-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Horse with no Name]

21. It's just smoke and mirrors

They are having some of "their" people that Americans overall generally like and respect--go after Rumsfield. You can rest assured that Rummy knows what is happening, and he probably has bodies buried so deep in the closet that he couldn't find his own ass, so he isn't going to say anything.He'll just take one "for the team".
After all, when he is finally fired...all that is Iraq--down to the last dead body-- can be blamed neatly and tidily on him, thus absolving Herr Fuhrer of any wrongdoing and keep him virginly white over the Iraq mess. After all, he was able to blame faulty intelligence on the CIA--now they are dropping like flies.
Stink doesn't stick to this piece of shit and I can't for the life of me figure out why sheeple don't hold him to the fire for HIS actions.

[LuminousX]

23. You are right

and in fact, Bush will suddenly get all sorts of praise for removing the Grim Reaper from the post, accolades for appointing McCain and everyone of the general masses will forget it was Bush who spawned all this evil in the first place.

[Cocoa]

28. yep

it's a skit, and the whores are playing along like it's real.

[maxrandb]

29. Kind of Like Rush saying he is not a partisan

because "see, I criticize Bush once in a while, I don't think he's being conservative enough". "See, I'm not just a right wing whacko, why just last decade I criticized the Republicans for not eliminating the income tax and reinstituting slavery." Yes, just a harmless little fuzzball. Sigh

Hey Norm, where were you three months ago?

[Barkley]

24. Schwarzkopf, McCain, Greenspan, Volker criticize Bush AFTER the election

These men are critizing Bush's economics and foreign policies when their its going to have the least impact.

[barb162]

25. I notice the same thing, tho Norman has blasted Bush before 11/2

but Greenspan and McCain I think are the WORST. Greenspan said just about zero about the deficits and dollar slide being a disaster before 11/2 but about 2 weeks after 11/2 all of a sudden he started saying this has the potential for a bad slide. Oh no kidding.

[rodeodance]

32. rip on Nornan!!!!!!!

[Supersedeas]

50. Post election honesty....how convenient of the MSM to find time now...

for issues related stories.

Well, time for Jackson's Kiddie Porn trial or the Blake Blake trial...then more Britney Jessica and news about the latest infomercial gadgets

[indepat]

34. I've long since got way past being angry Norm: Rummy's almost every word

reeks of the same holistic arrogance, as if soldiers were solely cannon fodder for his utter madness.

[agincourt]

37. Rumsfeld = Bush

Arrogant, Dumb ,self righteous , incompetent, and calloused. How anybody can slam one and not the other is beyond me.

[SouthernDaisy]

38. more on those humvees....ARMORED humvees were sent back to states.

Occasionally our local news gives us facts the networks choose to ignore. Last Wednesday, Dec. 8, was one of those instances---our local news,, WAVY (TV), spilled some smelly beans. They offered proof armored humvees were sent back to the states!

I couldn't believe my eyes and ears as I watched the story. I haven't seen this in print anywhere, so I emailed them and asked for a transcript.

Here's the transcript, exactly as emailed to me from WAVY (TV) News desk:

>>>>
STRAIGHT AHEAD AT 5:30--DISGRUNTLED SOLDIERS COMPLAINED TO DONALD RUMSFELD
ABOUT LONG DEPLOYMENTS AND A LACK OF ARMORED VEHICLES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT.
MORE ON THAT NEXT ON WAVY NEWS 10 AT 5:30.

NOW TO OUR OTHER TOP STORY.. DO TROOPS IN IRAQ HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO WIN THE FIGHT.. TONIGHT THEY SAY NO.. AND THEIR SAYING IT TO THEIR BOSS IN AVERY PUBLIC.. AND UNUSUAL DISPLAY. IT ALL HAPPENED WHEN DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD TRAVELED TO KUWAIT TO GIVE TROOPS GOING IN A PEP TALK.. IT TURNED INTO ANYTHING BUT.

WAVY NEWS 10'S MILITARY REPORTER PATTY CULHANE JOINS US WITH OUR TOP STORY.

IN THE MILITARY... IT JUST ISN'T NORMALLY DONE... CALLING OUT THEIR BOSSES IN PUBLIC.. WITH CAMERA'S ROLLING... IT GOT SO TESTY AT ONE POINT THAT RUMSFELD TOLD ONE SOLDIER TO SETTLE DOWN.

IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND THE SPACE BETWEEN THESE SOLDIERS AND THE SECRETARY
COULDN'T BE FARTHER APART... BUT IT SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR WITH THIS QUESTION

(S.O.T)
'why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap
metal and compromised ballistic glass to armor our vehicles and why don't we
have those resources readily available to us...

(nats - applause)

(s.o.t) Rumsfeld
'it's a matter of production and capability of doing it.. as you know..you
go to war with the army you have not the army you want.'

RUMSFELD SAYING THE ARMY JUST DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH ARMOR IN STOCK..

BUT WHEN WAVY NEWS TEN TRAVELED TO KUWAIT LAST MARCH WE SAW THIS... LINE AFTER LINE OF FULLY ARMORED HUMVEES AND TANKS BEING SENT BACK TO AMERICA WITH THE TROOPS THAT LAUNCHED THE WAR.. BEING REPLACED BY UNARMORED HUMVEE'S COVERED IN CANVAS.. AT THE TIME WE WERE TOLD WITH THE MISSION TURNING TO PEACEKEEPING.. SO MUCH ARMOR WOULDN'T BE NEEDED...

BUT WHEN WE GOT IRAQ.. WE FOUND THIS... JUST ONE BAY AVAILABLE TO ARMOR UP THE HUMVEE'S... ONLY ABLE TO DO ONE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS... AND NOT ENOUGH METAL TO DO ALL OF THEM.. WE TRAVELED IN ONE THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROTECTION...

THE SOLDIER'S TOLD US THEY NEEDED MORE... WE PUT THAT QUESTION TO SECRETARY RUMSFELD LAST APRIL

(S.O.T) FILE TAPE - 27:34
'first of all average non commissioned officer not saying what your saying.'

THEY SAID THAT TODAY.. WITH A QUESTION.. AND THE THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE THAT FOLLOWED.. RUMSFELD'S FINALLY TELLING THEM EVEN UNARMORED HUMVEES CAN BE BLOWN UP

(S.O.T) handlesman
'troops are 100 percent right.. ever since this war they've been misled on
just how long they would stay how difficult the insurgency would be.. what
equipment they would need to deal with it.'

A PENTAGON SPOKESMAN SAYS THE SOLDIER'S WILL NOT BE PUNISHED FOR SPEAKING
OUT. THE TOP GENERAL IN THE REGION SAYS HE HAD NO IDEA TROOPS WERE GOING THROUGH LANDFILL LOOKING FOR ARMOR.

>>>>

You can check this info with WAVY in Norfolk, VA for authenticity.

[milmascara13]

40. Two Words : Ronald DUMsfeld n/t

[yellowcanine]

42. Little Willy Kristol has bailed on Rummy also. My the rats are running

for the exits, aren't they?

[Pachamama]

43. Now THERE is a General....I always respected him - Now more than before..

He should have been given the Presidential Freedom Medal - Not Tommy "lick Bush's Ass" Franks....

[bunny planet]

46. I don't think * can afford to fire Rumsfeld. I think Rummy has the goods

on *'s connection to Abu Ghraib and probably much more. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Rumsfeld has done more than enough to be given the boot ( of course so has Condi and she ain't goin' nowhere, but that's a different story), so the question is, what does he have over the Preznit. Oh, they are so going down. House of Cards.

[johnlal]

48. Thanks a lot Norm!

Somebody tell Schwartzkopf and McCain that the time for criticism was BEFORE the election!

[Catchawave]

49. Why hasn't Rumsfeld been fired yet?

What would it take....is there such thing as an Act of Congress?