CNN: Rumsfeld: No one anticipated insurgency's strength

[DeepModem Mom]

Rumsfeld: No one anticipated insurgency's strength
September 28, 2006

(CNN) -- Donald Rumsfeld's Iraqi war plan worked beautifully for three weeks. U.S. troops quickly deposed Saddam Hussein and captured Baghdad with a relatively small force and with lightning speed.

But with Iraq on the verge of civil war three years later, the secretary of defense now admits that no one was well-prepared for what would happen after major combat ended.

"Well, I think that anyone who looks at it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has to say that there was not an anticipation that the level of insurgency would be anything approximating what it is," Rumsfeld told CNN for the documentary, "CNN Presents Rumsfeld -- Man of War," which debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. ET....

***

Rumsfeld's style and policies have rankled many, and several former top military officers have called for him to resign. One of those is the man who led the 1st Infantry Division in northwest Iraq in 2004. Former U.S. Army Maj. Gen John Batiste said he asked for more troops and was turned down.

"We're in a real fix right now (in Iraq)," Batiste told CNN. "We're there because Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored sound military advice, dismissed it all, went with his plan and his plan alone."...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/28/rumsfeld.profile/index.html

[bullimiami]

1. bush and friends cant seem to anticipate anything.

[driver8]

24. I'll bet that they can anticipate those HUGE checks that they are

going to get from Halliburton!

[Lindacooks]

26. That was my first thought too.

I guess if you're delusional, reality doesn't mean much.

[Julius Civitatus]

55. Exactly: let's go back down memory lane...

- On her inaction after getting the memo entitled "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the USA", Condi said:

"Nobody anticipated they would fly planes into buildings."

- On the Katrina disaster, after been told that the levees could break, Bush said:

"Nobody anticipated the breach of the levees."

- On the smoldering disaster that is Iraq, deep in a violent civil war, now Rummy says:

"Nobody anticipated the strength of the insurgency."

FYI, every single one of these excuses were absolute and unadulterated

BULLSHIT

!!!

They were told that Bin Laden planned to attack the USA.
They were told that the NOLA levees could breach.
They were told by military analysts the post-invasion could be a mess if not planned properly.

In either case THEY FAILED.

That is THREE MAJOR STRIKES of many, involving life and death situations.

Impeachment time is way overdue.

[SammyWinstonJack]

56. That's just the excuse they use when their shit blows up in their faces.

It's worked for them in the past, hopefully it won't work anymore.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. And this and the arrogant bastard STILL won't admit he was wrong.

What does it take to get rid of this F--- up????????????????

[LiberalinNC]

3. CNN needs to rename their special "Rumsfeld, man of incompetence!"

[Barrett808]

4. Funny, I did.

And I'm just a guy on the street.

[zonkers]

5. It's called, FUCKING UP and taking responsibility for it, Donny boy.

Gee things are a far cry from you making Redbooks sexiest man of the year. Jeez.

[bluerum]

6. "Man of War" - RU SERIES !!! Ah HA HA HA HA.

Just when I think that all traces of journalistic integrity have been banished from CNN (and FOX) they find a way to humiliate themselves and embarrass the USA even further.

Have they lost ALL sense reality? Are they all that bought?

[KamaAina]

38. Maybe he's part Portuguese

which would make him a Portuguese man o' war, which is a poisonous jellyfish. Poisonous and spineless. Yup, that's our Rummy. :grr:

[Straight Shooter]

7. Man of War?

How about Man of War's anus? Because Rumsfeld is nothing but a conduit for horseshit.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. Or is that Man 'O War?

Or was it "NO ONE COULD have anticipated using airplanes as insurgents"?

[speedingbullet]

50. How About Can O' War?

Rummy has an incredible shelf-life. Just when you though he was stale and used up during the Reagan administration, you set the old bastard away on a shelf. Years later, you can dig him up and he's still the same old bastard.

[jimshoes]

9. In the other universe

(not the bizzaro one) we call that being an arrogant, wrongheaded, disingenuous asshole. In bushworld, you get a medal for that.

[NOLADEM]

10. NO mini-McNamara, you fired everyone who said this

Or destroyed their careers, demoted them, forced them into early retirement, etc.

Any smart country would have locked these men up long ago.

[bluestateguy]

11. Just ignore him

He's going to resign after the election anyway, "to spend more time with his family".

[shance]

12. Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney are "the insurgency".

and those they deceive/enslave to fight the war for them.

[MidwestTransplant]

13. Maybe Shinsiki did and that's why he said we would need at least double

the # of boots on the ground. Oh yeah he was fired for being honest.

[Solly Mack]

14. another lie but then America is a country that is sustained by lies

lies are comforting...you can tell yourself your country doesn't and that eroding civil rights is good for you...that passing legislation that guts habeas corpus and international law protects the values and principles of America

Come to think of it...I guess it does protect America's values afterall

[dave502d]

15. We never anticipated you keeping your job. n/t

[fob]

16. BULLSHIT MOTHERFUCKER!! YOU AND YOUR ASSHOLE

FUCKUP NEO-CON BITCHES INCLUDED AN EXTRA-HARDCORE INSURGENCY IN YOUR FUCKING "PLAN" YOU COCK-KNOCKER! IN CASE YOU FORGOT YOU SENILE PRICK LOOK IN YOUR NOTES UNDER "FLYPAPER".


calming somewhat....

I guess technically you didn't "anticipate" it, it's more like you fucking RELIED upon it

[mcscajun]

17. Hell! Plenty of us here at DU with 20/20 FORESIGHT

anticipated the level of "insurgency" (damn, I hate that word) in Iraq.

We anticipated it, we argued it, we proclaimed it...nobody paid the least bit of attention.

Fuckin' bastard Rumsfeld.

[aquart]

18. Funny. I did.

[dapper]

19. oops

oops

[dapper]

20. but now they have an excuse!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Iran has been giving Millions to the insurgents. Coincidentally, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!

Dap

[truthisfreedom]

21. uhh, hate to tell you rummy, but we all anticipated you'd fuck this up.

from day one. i had "NO WAR IN IRAQ" and "BRING THE TROOPS HOME" signs in my yard for months and months.

it was plainly evident from the beginning that this was another bush debacle... i told my right-wing friends this very quote:

"bush never finishes anything. he copped out of his business and did insider trading to extract a profit from it, he never finished his requirements for the guard, and he'll never finish this war either."

and he won't. because it's unwinnable.

[yorkiemommie1]

22. only us here

and my friends and neighbors.

[sendero]

23. Rummy can't anticipate his next bowel..

... movement. He's that goddam stupid.

[Anakin Skywalker]

25. No. Only You NeoCONS, Rummy the Dummy!

SOME OF US foresaw all these scenarios.

[wellst0nev0ter]

27. "20/20 Hindsight"?

Okay, what about 20/20 foresight?

asshole.

[MGD]

28. I anticipated it Mr. Rumsfeld. I said as much back then too.

All the military geniuses in my unit dismissed it of course. They, like you, seemed to think that fighting a well trained, well armed, well financed, and insanely determined guerilla enemy in urban territory would be a walk in the park. I'll bet they're singing a different tune these days.

[Amonester]

29. February 15, 2003 anti-war protest (between six and ten million)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_15,_2003_anti-war_protest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_the_2003_Iraq_war#February_15.2C_2003

When that lying Rumsferatu says nobody, the truth is the opposite...

I was there and we knew all that happened, happens, and will happen (Iraq will stay like this as long as we're there).

Herr and his fellows lying gangsters at the PNAC willfully ignored us.

And that, again, is the TRUTH that we still know.

[Crunchy Frog]

30. The most commonly uttered phrase of the * administration.

"No one anticipated..."

[leesa]

31. Most everyone around the world did, including the huge "focus groups"

protesting outside the White House.

Off to jail with the murderer's Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.

[xultar]

32. No one thought planes could be used as weapons.

[ckramer]

33. Looks like no one here has said this yet:

Duh!

Idiot.

[damntexdem]

34. Nobody Rummy listened to, or would listen to, admitted ...

anticipating what would happen. But plenty of people anticipated a civil war if the U.S. invaded. Even Colin Powell hinted at it with "if you break it."

[MannyGoldstein]

35. Shinseki Saw It And Said It

What liars.

Gen. Shinseki, who was in charge of the SUCCESSFUL occupation in the Balkans, said it would require several times more troops to occupy Iraq than we were willing to commit. I would say he was the most experienced person in the land to make a judgement. He was immediately swiftboated by Rumsfeld et al.

[Patchuli]

36. A real secretary of defense would have...nt

[KamaAina]

37. Rice: No one anticipated the bad guys would fly planes into buildings

It must be fun to play chess with these mofo's. "No one anticipated KamaAina was going to fork my Queen and Rook with his Knight..." :eyes:

[TankLV]

39. I DID! WE ALL HERE AT DU DID!!!!

What a fucking asswipe WAR CRMINIAL!

WE all told you so, you fucking asshole!

WE ALL TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!

[underpants]

51. Millions in the streets said "This is a really bad idea"

well actually thousands took to the streets. Each one apparently was counted by the media as being a "anti-war appearance" thus balancing out the coverage.

[radfringe]

40. other things "NOT ANTICIPATED"

[It was not a pretzel]

41. Rumsfeld is like Göring

completely off his rocker!! "north, south, east and west" my ass.

The man needs a straitjacket and a padded cell.

[DoYouEverWonder]

42. So in other words

Rummie knew Saddam didn't have Weapons of Mass Destruction, since he now admits he knew how easy it would be to take the country.

Remember all the bs before the war? Saddam had the 4th largest army in the world. That Saddam's Republican Guard was well equiped and well trained? That Saddam had stockpiles of nerve and bio agents that he was going to use if we attacked?

[VWolf]

43. LOL Yeah, nobody except

me.
And my liberal friends.
And my centrist friends.
And my non-neocon conservative friends.

What a schmuck.

[Toots]

44. What was the reason again that Bush 1 did not go into Baghdad?

No one could have anticipated is getting quite old especially when there is so much evidence to the contrary.

[mikeytherat]

48. From Bush41's lips:

Here is an interesting warning about Iraq invasion from none other than Poppy himself in his book A World Transformed (Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1998): on page 489:

"Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep" and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, there was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Further more, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different -- and perhaps barren -- outcome."

-- George H.W. Bush in A World Transformed

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679432485/qid=1031699584/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-8178493-5822429?v=glance&s=books

mikey_the_rat

[0007]

45. ..... and no one anticipated Rumsfeld's stupidity!

[bushisanidiot]

46. Nobody anticipated your complete INCOMPETENCY, asshole.

what a friggin loser. His only plan was "do as I say and don't ask questions." That was the totality of his strategy.

3,000 dead american soldiers later he's just now realizing there MAY have been an error or two committed in the planning process?!?!?!?!

[Javaman]

47. "no one anticipated..."

If I hear that fucking phrase one more time from these dirty bastards, I'll go postal.

What a bunch of god damn liars...

I weep for the country we once had.

[underpants]

52. "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

[underpants]

53. "No one anticipated terrorists crashing planes into buildings?"

That isn't a direct quote from Condi

[Az_lefty]

49. All the people that tried to warn you did!!!!

I can't believe this fucking asshole is still trying to "catapult the propaganda". :puke:

[One_Life_To_Give]

54. Translation - I wouldn't listen to anyone

Plenty of people were concerned about this. But you couldn't let anything get in the way of you pipe dream of being greeted with Rose Petals after such an outstanding victory with no troops and no casualties. Yeah you were dreaming then and your still dreaming.

[Yavin4]

57. A Hallmark of Incompetence Is Not Being To Anticipate

Competency in anything is defined by the ability to anticipate unforseen events. A successful QB in football anticipates a blitz. A database admin anticipates system failures and crashes. A mother anticipates when her child is sick, etc.