Rumsfeld: "You can have all the armor in the world and still be blown up"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,140858,00.html



"Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?" Wilson asked. A big cheer arose from the approximately 2,300 soldiers in the cavernous hangar who assembled to see and hear the secretary of defense. Rumsfeld hesitated and asked Wilson to repeat his question.

"We do not have proper armored vehicles to carry with us north," Wilson said after asking again. Rumsfeld replied that troops should make the best of the conditions they face and said the Army was pushing manufacturers of vehicle armor to produce it as fast as humanly possible.

And, the defense chief added, armor is not always a savior in the kind of combat U.S. troops face in Iraq, where the insurgents' weapon of choice is the roadside bomb, or improvised explosive device that has killed and maimed hundreds, if not thousands, of American troops since the summer of 2003.

"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up," Rumsfeld said. Asked later about Wilson's complaint, the deputy commanding general of U.S. forces in Kuwait, Maj. Gen. Gary Speer, said in an interview that as far as he knows, every vehicle that is deploying to Iraq from Camp Buehring in Kuwait has at least "Level 3" armor. That means it at least has locally fabricated armor for its side panels, but not necessarily bulletproof windows or protection against explosions that penetrate the floorboard.

[MrBenchley]

1. That's why so many Republicans are chickenhawks...

Take a chance on getting blown up? Who are you kidding?

[RPM]

2. I thought we had factories to build armor...

... no wait - they closed and were offshored :-(

[mac56]

3. "Uparmor"?

Is that really a word?

[kskiska]

4. Did the car Rummy rode in

have armor?

[DavidDvorkin]

5. But you're less likely to be killed if you have the armor

On the other hand, you're least likely to be killed if you you're a Republican chickenhawk and you're safe in the U.S.

[skypilot]

6. "...and it can still be blown up."

So why bother, right? You can arm our troops to the teeth and they can still be blown up by an IED so let's just send them over with water pistols and bibles. Prick.

[Sparkly]

8. Right!!

As I posted elsewhere:

Next he'll explain why they don't need helmets: "You're gonna die anyway. Helmet won't save you from an IED that rips your chest apart."

Maybe they don't need guns. "Guns won't save you when you're hit by an explosion."

Heck, maybe they don't need boots. "Lots of guys lose their legs anyway, boots don't save 'em."

[tk2kewl]

7. You sure your not stepping down there rummy?

evil clown >>

[Ganja Ninja]

9. It's a safe bet that Rummy doesn't travel without armor ..

in Iraq or anywhere.

[Inland]

10. Yeah, but that's different. He counts for something.

[frankly_fedup2]

11. Yeah, probably has 15,000 troops surrounding him like Bush did . . .

in Columbia.

That's what I said when all the beheadings were going on. If the terrorist had kidnapped anyone that was in government, there would be something done about it.

[MrBenchley]

18. Rumsfeld's answer shows

You can have all the advantages in life and still be trash.

[tk2kewl]

19. all of these jerks behave like trash

that is their freaking MO

noecon=trailer trash with cash

[MrBenchley]

20. Yup...

Speaking personally, it's one reason why I invented Bob Boudelang to be their true spokesperson....

[frankly_fedup2]

12. That reminds me. Do any of you remember when . . .

Ashley Banfield was the hottest reporter around due to her 9/11 reporting?

When the war first started, she and her crew were in Brinks Armored Trucks . . . like the ones that carry our money from one bank to another . . . with guards with guns.

Just a thought, but we protect our money better than we do our soldiers. Capitalistic more than Democratic if you ask me.

[SpiralHawk]

13. This is sure to resonate with our troops

a battle cry for the ages:

"You can have all the armor in the world and still get blown up>"

Wonder how it would sound in Latin?

Much more soul stirring, I am sure.

[Q]

14. Another reason why Bush's RUSH TO WAR was a criminal act...

It should go without saying that the troops aren't properly equipted because the Bushies lied about the need to rush troops into the field. Iraq was never a threat and I believe most troops know that by now.

[rman]

15. Rummy is being nihilistic

Everyone knows the chance of being killed or seriously wounded in an explosion is smaller the more armor you have.

But Rumsfeld simplifies things by totally ignoring this fact, probably because to him it's an inconvenient fact.

"Facts change from time to time" -- Rumsfeld

[blackangrydem]

16. Brave questions from some soldier out there

[charlie]

17. You can have the best army in the world

and still get your ass ground to a nub from grateful Iraqis throwing something other than the expected garlands AND a micromanaging SecDef with a beancounter mentality.

Hey Rummy, talk to the guy across the hall. He fought the last war with a doctrine you idiot Republicans thought so wise you named it after him.

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Sorta like the administration's condom policy, huh?

There's a minor--very minor--failure rate, therefore they shouldn't be used at all.

I'm sure what he really wants to say is that armor's for sissies, and they oughta just be real men like him.

And don't kid yourself: Rummy's here to stay.