LAT: Adviser Stephen Hadley: Bush Open to Rumsfeld Ideas

[DeepModem Mom]

Adviser: Bush Open to Rumsfeld Ideas
December 3, 2006

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is open to some of the major change in Iraq policy that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld suggested in a classified memo days before he resigned, the White House's national security adviser said Sunday.

The memo discussed putting "substantial" U.S. forces near Iraq's borders with Iran and Syria, withdrawing American troops from vulnerable positions and moving to a quick reaction status, and "taking our hand off the cycle seat" through the start of "modest withdrawals" of U.S. and coalition forces.

"Of course they're being considered," Bush adviser Stephen Hadley said.

"At some point obviously, we would like to begin bringing troops back home. The president has said that -- he's talked many times, `As Iraqis stand up, we can stand down.'" I think the important thing is that we're pushing on an open door," Hadley said.

He did not perceive Rumsfeld's memo as a late effort to save his job...."The president had asked agencies to begin a review of our policy in Iraq, and what Secretary Rumsfeld did, I think, very helpfully, was put together a sort of laundry list of ideas that ought to be considered as part of that review," Hadley said.

"The president really wanted us to open the aperture, consider all ideas, and it was input by Secretary Rumsfeld, helpful input into that process," he said....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top10dec03,0,7858877.story?coll=la-ap-topnews-headlines

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. In other words

Rummie is still in charge and gates is just another puppet on a string.

[Earth_First]

7. Exactly. n/t

[confludemocrat]

2. Now there's someone who should be listened to on Iraq!

goddamn.

[teryang]

3. Iraqfraud, the war goes on...

these memos and pronouncements from the regime of liars, frauds, and war profiteers aren't worth the paper or time it takes to read them. While they're printed up, scores violently lose their lives for Anglo-American corporate Rhodesian colonial plans for the mideast.

[dchill]

4. "Bush Open..."

It's enough to gag a maggot.

[Nevernose]

5. Wait, isn't that "cut and run" Murtha's plan?

Pull out of the cities, stop it with the daily patrols, crack down on border smuggling, and going "over the horizon" as a quick reaction force?

[cliss]

6. Can you believe the things

that come out of this man's mouth??

"The president really wanted us to open the aperture.."

I believe Aperture means a Crack, or an opening, sort of like an opening in a cliff. What the hell does he mean here?

[rocktivity]

8. The same Rumsfeld that Bush FIRED???

:crazy:
rocknation