Size of U.S. forces in Iraq is adequate, Rumsfeld says

[Nambe]

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - (Knight Ridder/Tribune)

Despite a second, large suicide bombing attack on a civilian target in Iraq this month, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that U.S. commanders in Iraq consider the size of the American force there adequate to provide security as the country rebuilds.

Speaking after a meeting with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro in Tegucigalpa, Rumsfeld said he and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had discussed the size of the U.S. force in Iraq - now about 140,000 soldiers - earlier Wednesday, in the wake of Tuesday's truck bombing, which killed more than 20 people at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. -

Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials have said previously that U.S. forces can successfully conduct military operations on several fronts in the administration's war on terrorism.

But the defense secretary allowed Wednesday that large U.S. military operations and deployments around the world have strained people and equipment. ---

Banish bush From Texas Too

[Cha]

1. It's not in their makeup to admit making a mistake!

That means "no draft", then!

[Hotdiggitydog]

5. At the rate we are losing Soldiers in Iraq...

We'll have to send more over there eventually.

Or Maybe Rumsf*ck thinks the need for soldiers will decrease at the same rate they are dying off. We won't send any more over, but none will be coming home.

[newyawker99]

7. Hi Hotdiggitydog!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Booberdawg]

2. Yeah right. Like Rumfilled is the kind of guy who would admit

he was wrong if that were the case. :eyes:

[realFedUp]

3. maybe Rummy and Bush should find out firsthand....

if the numbers are adequate.

[bpilgrim]

4. he has to say that... he ain't got no more!

and still too much campaigning to do before the next election.

peace

[markses]

14. Yeah, this is really making a virtue of necessity

(Since we don't have any more resources to devote to Iraq) The current resources are sufficient.

***PLEASE NOTE: Clause appearing in parenthesis deleted from final statement...*** ;-)

[alcuno]

6. Is anyone keeping a list of all of Rummy's erroneous statements?

My personal favorite is the one about "joyous" liberated Iraqis trashing Baghdad. He really does have the wrong job. How about a graphic of Rummy dressed up as Baghdad Bob?

[Felix Mala]

8. Actually, they're three soldiers shy

I think if they add Pfc. Rumsfeld, Pfc. Cheney and Lt. G.W. Bush, order will finally come to Iraq.

[hunter]

9. Rumsfeld looks in pants...

Yeah, the American force is "adequate."

Rumsfeld's got Viagra.

[0007]

10. Actually

all we indeed need is just two men.

John Wayne and Mel Gibson. Well maybe junior just in case, 'eh?

[trapper914]

11. When they're not finding WMD...

...they always remark how "it's a country the size of California." Do you really think 140K is enough to police an increasingly hostile country of millions?

[Spazito]

12. Given that Powell and...

the US Ambassador to the UN are back begging for more troops from other countries, Rumsfeld makes perfect sense. He means we don't need any more US TROOPS, we need other countries' soldiers to become targets too. Geez, he is sooooo sickening!

[jayfish]

13. Did Anyone See Or Hear...

Rumsfeld and Gen. Abizaid today. I did not see it myself, but was listening to a news story about it on the radio. This is paraphrased but Don Rumsfeld basically said, "why don't you tell them with your own mouth, that the current troop strength in Iraq is sufficient." Abizid then said "That's correct". Just before the clip ended it sounded like they were being laughed off the stage. I have been trying to find a transcript for this but no luck yet. I have never heard anything like it.

Jay