Rumsfeld Says Success of War in Iraq Key to 'Containing' Iran

[sabra]

http://www.aina.org/news/20060425123014.htm

Rumsfeld Says Success of War in Iraq Key to 'Containing' Iran

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said success in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are key to containing what he said were "extreme impulses" coming from Iran, a country he tied to the American-led war on terrorism.

In an interview on the Pentagon's internal television channel Rumsfeld said those who believe the cost of the war in Iraq is too high should consider how failure would "advance" the cause of the Iranian government, which the U.S. says is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

"We need to put Iraq and Afghanistan in that context so that those people in our country who are deeply concerned about Iran, which is understandable, recognize that success in Afghanistan and success in Iraq is critical to containing the extreme impulses that we see emanating from Iran," Rumsfeld said according a transcript released by the Department of Defense.

[liberal N proud]

1. Tying Iran to Iraq - making the case for an attack.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

5. Huh? I'd say it's the exact opposite.

He's defending the Iraq war by saying that Rummie & Friends now DON'T have to attack Iran to keep "containing" it. This gives evidence to all the people claiming that the Iraq war was really about establishing control of the oil rich mid-east region.

[cantstandbush]

16. So now the reason for Iraq invasion becomes "to contain Iran?"

Face it, Bush let these genies out of the bottles and there is no putting them back.

[wordpix2]

25. that's the way I read it, too

[JuniperLea]

2. Well there you go!

Iraq is a failure so logic dictates we won't attack Iran... oh, wait.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. On what planet is this man living?!?!?!?!

He's about 3 retired Generals from being guillotined because of his mismanagement of military personnel and he thinks things are going fine in Iraq?

[cliss]

4. See how they are?

Rumsfailed and Cheney will never stop - not until they are pried out of the White House.

Rumsfailed is like a cockroach: you just keep spraying and spraying under the refrig. he just scrambles and climbs behind the refrig, in some hidey-hole until the heat's off.

Then he climbs out and starts over again. He's never going to change.

[wordpix2]

26. good analogy with the cockroach story, thanks. BushCheney are same

[rustydog]

6. Well then, according to Rummy we're pretty much fucked

[saltpoint]

7. The scene I'm hoping for is for The Fixer, Jim Baker, to have a little

private lunch with Uncle Don.

Old times can be discussed, a swapping of anecdotes of by-gone power-plays, etc.

But soon into the club sandwiches, The Fixer tells Don that it is unavoidable, that he's going to have to step down as Defense Secretary.

Don won't like it much, and will pout through the rest of his club sandwich. But in the end he will abide by the advice and instructions of The Fixer.

Tomorrow or Thursday is clear on the lunch calendar...

[babylonsister]

11. Old Crusoe, from your lips! But it might be

poached salmon. :hide:
So you think Baker's task is to rein Rummy in w/o the appearance of dimson being involved?

[saltpoint]

13. Hi, babylonsister. I don't know, really. I can't think Baker is there

for sport, so I'm guessing he has "organizational" duties.

What I'd love to know is who asked him there -- whether Dubya deferred to Rove or Bolten or someone currently in the adminstration, or if he caved to his Daddy's demands and let Baker slip in quietly through the back porch.

It's kind of a mess either way, isn't it?!

Nice seeing you tonight on DU.

[babylonsister]

18. Have you seen this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1023856

And it's nice seeing you as well. I especially love your support of my favorite Senator! Thank you, and you make me proud!

[saltpoint]

21. Thanks -- no, I hadn't seen it, but it is a fine piece and makes the

intrigue all the more intense.

I wonder if Cheney will resign "for health reasons" and Rumsfeld will be asked to step down, and Baker will be the Vice President.

It's going to get interesting.

[babylonsister]

22. I'll bet none of that will happen; they're heading for a brick wall,

and don't even see it. I just don't see Cheney resigning because someone tells him to. Who might be speaking to him? Rove? Who is in charge of the ladder of power-that would be very interesting to know.
Rove? Cheney? Dimson??!

[saltpoint]

23. I admit it's hard to picture, but Baker is there with no big press

conference or hoopla. To me that means that something is going on, and it probably means Dubya is in over his head, as usual, and has to have "Daddy's goon," as one DUer put it, come in and mount some sort of rescue.

Beats me what it might be, though.

[wordpix2]

28. no doubt some palace intrigue ongoing. BigOil is really the power behind

the throne, IMO. International oil cartel really controls US.

:puke:

[wordpix2]

27. thanks, babylonsister and WmPitt, great piece and wonderful ruminations

"The Fixer" Janitor James is back in biz to clean up Jr.'s mess. Everything is so predictable with this crowd. Next target is getting Jr's BigOil puppetmasters to ease up on oil prices. I can hear Jimbo now, "It's just for the summer into fall---just long enough to get us Repubs elected again so we can stay in power, he, he. Then it will be winter and everyone will expect prices to rise again, anyway, with the winter demand. You can sneak the price up again then." This is the way they do it with their fellow oil barons.

[sandnsea]

8. Now a whole new excuse for the Iraq war

If this planet survives these asshats, they will go down as one of the most evil regimes in the entire history of the world. There are truly no words to describe this.

[pinto]

9. Oh my fuckin' word. He won't stop...making it up as he goes along.

[Roland99]

10. *Cough*BULLSHIT*Cough*

[LittleClarkie]

12. Well then, I guess we're fucked

Success? Is he kidding?

[MrPrax]

14. It's incoherent...?

I keep reading it and I still can't follow the logic.

What does Iraq and Afghanistan have to do with Iran? Other than being in the middle of two American-occupied countries...nothing.

[wordpix2]

31. Let me translate Rummy-talk for you:

Now that we've made a mess and failure of Iraq and Afghanistan, with the former in civil war and the latter in the hands of warlords and drug cartels, we must "win" there if we are to keep Iran's extremist fundie Shiites from taking over the entire region.

God forbid that Rummy should speak plainly or the sheeple might understand that he's an insane chickenhawk who has an agenda under the aegis of PNAC-Big Oil-Halliburton-Carlyle Grp.

[ixion]

15. uh-huh... just like we 'contained' Cambodia during the Vietnam conflict

by carpet bombing them. :-(

[phiddle]

17. The reincarnation of the Domino Theory of Int'l Relations

And no more valid now than in Vietnam, where success in 'Nam was (supposedly) critical to containment of communism, blah, blah blah. To the domino players (Rumsfeld, et al): we lost Vietnam, and it did not matter one whit.

[Jacobin]

19. Pssst, Donald. Clue phone ringing for you

BY TOPPLING SADDAM AND CREATING SHIITE DOMINANCE IN IRAQ YOU HAVE HANDED IRAQ TO IRAN!!!

Sorry for shouting, but, geeze.....

[kineneb]

20. "success" as defined by Rummy the Dummy

Step 1: overthrow Taliban in Afghanistan, install corporate-friendly pupet government

Step 2: Invade Iraq, build huge permanent military bases

Step 3: Invade Iran, take over oil facilities and secure corporate access to and control of oil

Step 4: corporations dictate to Middle East on oil market

...is please to check world map...Iran is located between Afghanistan and Iraq...

So far we are at Step 2, and it isn't going so well, since the corps can't get the oil out.

...and the dimbulbs wonder why the locals keep blowing up the pipe lines? Duh!

[wordpix2]

32. very good synopsis

[VegasWolf]

24. Right, just like the key to containing the Soviet Union was winning 'Nam.

Complete DUMBFUCKS in control of the unfortunate country.

[truthisfreedom]

29. so, if that's the case, mr. president, please accept rummy's resignation

right now, because he's not going to win Iraq or Afghanistan for us. or if it isn't the case, mr. president, please accept rummy's resignation for being completely and utterly wrong.

[stepnw1f]

30. He Can't Even "Contain" Iraq

the fucking sick greedy evil bastard will say anything, just to buy time.