Robert McNamara or Donald Rumsfeld?

[elperromagico]

Poll question: Robert McNamara or Donald Rumsfeld?

Who's worse?

[davidinalameda]

1. not even close

Rummy

[Zen Democrat]

2. Everybody should see "The Fog of War".

McNamara would have resigned before leading a preemptive war.

[elperromagico]

3. I have just seen it, thus the question.

[Stand and Fight]

5. Exactly! n/t

[Stand and Fight]

4. Hmmm...

I think you would have to look at the presidents whom they served under -- McNamara served under both Kennedy and Johnson. Rumsfeld has served under Ford, Carter and G.W. Bush as Secretary of Defense. However, under Bush he has been completely out of control. McNamara on the other hand was somewhat honorable under the control of John F. Kennedy. It was only under Johnson that he became somewhat of a villain. I think you have to look at the president, but nonetheless, in my most humble opinion, Bush is worst than Johnson or Kennedy (not to imply that there was anything necessarily bad about them), and therefore it follows that Rumsfeld unchained is worst than McNamara.

At least, in my opinion...

[kwassa]

6. I agree with your assessment n/t

[mike_c]

7. I agree, not even close....

Both were aloof from the suffering they caused. McNamara was feckless, but he was at least in part trapped by events that he did not create and probably did not want. I certainly don't consider him "responsible" for Vietnam, and I don't think he abused his office to advance his ideology. McNamara was responsible for bad policy about the conduct of the Vietnam war, but not for the war itself or for creating the political climate it was fought in. Rummy, on the other hand, would pour gasoline on a pile of grandmothers and light them for the opportunity to advance PNAC style imperialism and to be the person who wields that power.