Rumsfeld: U.S. Gets A 'D' In War Of Ideas

[ECH1969]

Rumsfeld made the remark in response to a question from a member of his audience at the Army War College, where he delivered a speech on the challenges facing the country in fighting a global war on terrorism.

"If I were grading I would say we probably deserve a 'D' or a 'D-plus' as a country as to how well we're doing in the battle of ideas that's taking place in the world today," he told his questioner.

Rumsfeld's audience consisted of more than 300 war college students and faculty members.

Rumsfeld noted that among the more than 300 war college students in his audience were an Afghan military officer and one from Iraq.

http://cbs4denver.com/nationalpolitics/politicsnational_story_086140733.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. and don, who is in charge of gathering and selecting ideas? Huh? huh?

[400Years]

2. yeah, it's all just one big PR problem

:eyes:

[wtmusic]

6. Of course...the ideas didn't SUCK TO BEGIN WITH nt

[Warpy]

3. I think we need a campaign

to send cheap, dime store mirrors to these jokers every time they come out with a howler like that one.

I'm sick of all the projection. I think we need to help them see the real source of this country's problems.

[OKthatsIT]

4. Good God...what shit comes out of his mouth~~ serpent speech

When are getting rid of these monsters?

[xchrom]

5. whatchyou mean ''our'' ideas, white man?

you simple fuck, rummy -- go back to your coffin.

[MadMaddie]

7. Translated...."The war of Propaganda".......

[Just Me]

8. Oh, Rummy, you have in no way earned authority to grade,...

,...the "War of Ideas", you propagandist, ideological whacko!!!

[daleo]

9. Democracy, rule of law, a decent respect for the world's opinions

Those used to be pretty fair ideas, until Rumsfeld and his lot tossed them in the trash.

[Roland99]

10. Guess that means it's time to spend more on those catapaults.

[coalition_unwilling]

11. As Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld gets an 'F' (eom)

[Maeve]

13. And deserves a pink slip

Dubya'll probably give him a medal... :eyes:

[jseankil]

12. So they are finally admitting that the administration is below average /nm

nm

[Jacobin]

14. Oh my. Is that a catty little swipe at Karen Hughes?

Isn't she charged with running around the world telling Muslims how wonderful we are?

[NYC Liberal]

15. As George Carlin noted: why is EVERYTHING we do a "war"

War on drugs
War on terror
War on crime

Now we're in a "war of ideas"??

[sutz12]

17. Yep...when your only tool is a hammer,

all of your problems start to look like nails.

[peacetalksforall]

16. I say fire all the think tankers hired by the band of barons. Let's listen

to the little people (that excludes the DLC).

[warrens]

18. Communicating lofty ideals

With a boot on the neck is not the most effective communication strategy. Particularly when you start whining every time a budding democracy elects people who hate you. These people are revolting.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Rumsfeld says ‘Islamists’ most brutal enemies

March 28, 2006 Tuesday Safar 27, 1427

Rumsfeld says ‘Islamists’ most brutal enemies

CARLISLE (USA), March 27: The Al Qaeda network and ‘affiliated Islamic extremists’ represent one of the most brutal enemies the United States has ever seen, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Monday.

In remarks prepared for delivery to Army War College students and faculty, Mr Rumsfeld cited several examples of vicious terrorist assaults, including the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, and warned that unless the terrorists are stopped they will continue to seek the means to launch even deadlier attacks on the West in the years ahead.

“The enemy we face may be the most brutal in our history,” Mr Rumsfeld said. “They lack only the means _ not the desire _ to murder millions of innocent people with weapons vastly more powerful than boarding passes and box cutters,” he added, referring to those who hijacked the airliners on Sept 11.
(snip/...)

http://www.dawn.com/2006/03/28/int6.htm

[Guckert]

20. Those Nazis were just bad cooks and the Vietnamese were just misunderstood

[madeline_con]

21. "... unless the terrorists are stopped ..."

Who believes there will be an end to the "Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism"?

We can raze entire countries, and people will still want to kill us. Wake up, Uncle Donny!!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Rumsfeld, etal want war to continue endlessly for the sake of profit.

Private greed and private power are the most disgusting motives of all.

[Copperred]

26. yep that is all this is about..

Someone needs to print up and send General Butler's War is a Racket Speech to every home.....

BULK MAIL

[Lexingtonian]

23. What's wrong with the word "Arab", Don?

We know that's what you really mean. All thems icky brown people from Casablanca to Karachi who just have no love for the white folk stealing their oil and coddling their dictators and fucking up Mesopotamia for no good reason.

[Igel]

24. Because somewhere around Khuzestan

they stop being Arab. And extremist Islamists aren't bracketed by Morocco and the western portion of Pakistan.

[cantstandbush]

25. I'm sure they feel the same way about "Christians." n/t

[fujiyama]

27. Gotta agree...Islamists are pretty dangerous

Then why Rummy, did we attack a secularist like Saddam?