Rumsfeld Tours Iraq, Praises Iraqi Forces

[Placebo]

At Camp Victory outside of Baghdad, Rumsfeld watched an Iraqi counterterrorist team assault a compound in a demonstration that included live weapons fire, stun grenades and a squad of masked commandos rappelling from a helicopter.

"The professionalism of these units is advancing," Rumsfeld said of Iraqi forces.

In talks with soldiers, both Iraqi and American, Rumsfeld emphasized the importance of handing over security to Iraqi forces so American troops can come home. But he acknowledged that it takes time to train and equip the Iraqis.

"Once they have that confidence, that capacity and capability, our forces, coalition forces, will be able to go home," Rumsfeld told U.S. troops in Mosul in northern Iraq. "And go home with the honor you will have earned."

More...

[Demeter]

1. Things Must Be Too Hot In The US!

Road Trip!

[GallianoGown]

2. For some insane reason,

soldiers in Iraq love this guy! I got back from Iraq a month ago after being there for 22 months. I was a trauma RN at a frontline hospital.Saw and learned alot. Anyway, these crazy soldiers some with fresh amputations all go crazy over "Rummy". They love him. I think he's a stumbling bumbling incompetent idiot who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. It would never cease to amaze me the admiration these guys had for Rumsfeld. Can anybody explain it???

[Placebo]

3. Welcome to DU!

And thank you for your service! :)

[SHRED]

4. Welcome to DU!

:toast:

I don't know why they like him.
Maybe because he uses BIG words and structures his speech patterns so as to appear intelligent. He may be but he is a weasel for sure.

[Az_lefty]

6. Welcome back and welcome to DU

I got back in Dec 03' and was amazed at the blind following bush and rummy have in the field. Perhaps it has something to do with the "Stockholm Syndrome".

[shrike]

13. For this reason, I have a hard time supporting the troops at times

Although I keep telling myself there are plenty of soldiers who see him for the fraud he is.

[Village Idiot]

5. YA - RIGHT - OK....

"Once they have that confidence, that capacity and capability, our forces, coalition forces, will be able to go home," Rumsfeld told U.S. troops in Mosul in northern Iraq. "And go home with the honor you will have earned."

Keep those 14 PERMANENT Military installations...we'll just GIVE them to you....consider them a gift from a thankful Amerika!!!


heeheehee.... ;)

[MisterP]

7. "Lawee" gets more and more demonic-looking

one of these days, he's gonna start breathing fire.
("Oh, so you don't like that, Mr. al-Sistani?! Taste pitchfork! Bwaaahahaa!")

[leftchick]

8. Insurgents Hit Bakery, Mosque; Rumsfeld in Iraq

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20050211/ts_nm/iraq_dc

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed 13 people outside a Shi'ite mosque northeast of Baghdad Friday and gunmen shot dead nine people in a bakery in the capital in the latest sectarian attacks following the Jan. 30 election.


Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on an unannounced visit to Iraq (news - web sites), warned it would take time for Iraqi security forces to crush the country's bloody insurgency.


Iraq's 60 percent Shi'ite majority, oppressed for decades under Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), is expected to dominate Iraqi politics following last month's historic polls. Insurgents, most of whom are Sunni Muslim, have mounted repeated attacks on Shi'ites, sparking fears the country could slide toward civil war.


<snip>

Police said 13 people were killed and 40 wounded in Balad Ruz when a suicide car bomb exploded outside a mosque. Four of the dead were soldiers and at least three wounded were children.


"I wish to lose my sight so that I won't see another person after you, my dear," cried one mourning woman in hospital.



look, rummy uses US$ paid mercs too!

[Roland99]

9. At the same time, ~40 people are killed in various attacks

What a safe place Iraq is.


You know, I'm thinking of heading there for Spring Break.

[Cocoa]

10. they need equipment more than they need Rummy's praise

how many stories about the insurgents massacring unarmed Iraqi security forces?

After a review of an Iraqi army unit, Lt. Gen. N. Abadi, Iraq's deputy chief of staff, told U.S. defense officials Iraq's military needed two things: more equipment, and time to get his forces trained.

[VegasWolf]

11. Rumfilled says "See you, don't want to be you!" n/t

[tiredofthisstuff]

12. I bet Rumsfeld had an erection while watching the demonstration..

:spank:

[Redstone]

14. He did, but

it was such a teeny little thing that nobody noticed.

Redstone