"A Horse for Rumsfeld, but, Whoa, There's a Snag"

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: A Horse for Rumsfeld, but, Whoa, There's a Snag
By THOM SHANKER
Published: October 23, 2005


ULAN BATOR, Mongolia, Oct. 22 - Mongolia has 131 soldiers in Iraq, and on Saturday it received an official American statement of gratitude from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Mr. Rumsfeld came to Ulan Bator to deliver that message personally, and he was given a horse.

In dazzling sunlight on the grounds of the Mongolian Defense Ministry, Mr. Rumsfeld took the reins of the calm gelding and said, "I am proud to be the owner of that proud animal."...But transport for Mr. Rumsfeld's gift (to his New Mexico ranch) posed a problem.

The defense secretary is on an eight-day around-the-world mission aboard the National Airborne Operations Center, an aircraft nicknamed the Doomsday Plane because it would be the flying command post for American leaders in case of nuclear war....But Air Force planners apparently gave no thought to stables.

So in an act of modern horse-trading, Mr. Rumsfeld's staff said, the Pentagon offered a herder a flashlight in ceremonial compensation for his agreement to care for the horse along with his herd 100 miles from Ulan Bator, at least until the defense secretary can return to retrieve his gift....Mongolian Defense Ministry officials said the animal truly belonged only to Mr. Rumsfeld. Unless he chooses to retrieve the horse, "only the steppe winds will ride on his back," said Khasbazar Boldbat, the Defense Ministry's senior officer for foreign cooperation....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/international/asia/23rumsfeld.html

[Turbineguy]

1. Say what you like

about Rummie

but,

""only the steppe winds will ride on his back," "

Now that's prose!

[cornermouse]

2. Trying to picture Rumsfeld on a horse.

Trying...

:think:

Trying...

:think:

Still trying...



:think:

Nope. I can't see it.

:shrug:

[DeepModem Mom]

4. LOL!

[koopie57]

12. It is hard to picture a horse with two asses on it ... eom

[DeepModem Mom]

14. LOL!

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Rummie picked the right week to be flying around

on the the Doomsday Plane. Why does this scare the shit out me?

[lonestarnot]

5. Tie him to the horn, tie his feet in the stirrups and smack the horse

on the ass headed in any direction but ours!

[Divernan]

6. Keep the horse there; neocons pushing slaughter of all US mustangs.

Via selling all the wild horses to slaughter houses. And the Navy has announced plans to proceed with its sonar programs, despite the fact that it destroys eardrums/balance and therefore kills whales and dolphins. Why do they hate our animals?

[marylanddem]

7. Rumsfeld could slaughter & stuff the horse

and put it in his office next to the piece of wreckage of the Pentagon 9-11 plane he keeps in there. any story that humanizes this blood-thirsty chickenhawk warmonger isn't worth the toilet paper it's printed on.
(edited to add: and that means the New York Times)

[bklyncowgirl]

8. Send Brownie. He's actually qualified for this job.

He's still on the Federal payroll. We might as well get some work out of him and transporting a horse from Mongolia to the US should be within the competence range for a guy who used to be head of the Arabian Horse Association or whatever he was.

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Very clever connection -- yep, send Brownie. nt

[marylanddem]

13. Brownie could ride it across the ocean.

Giddyup.

[DemoTex]

15. Dubya could milk him, and Brownie arrange the breeding.

http://prairiehome.forum.publicradio.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/02/2116221

[bread_and_roses]

9. I thought they had reverence for their horses

...and they give one to demon spawn Rumsferatu? According to Tolkien, horses, being among the free creatures of the Earth, cannot abide the Servants of the Dark Lord.

[elehhhhna]

11. Bush better fly over to milk it, stat!

[hlthe2b]

16. Put the horse on the plane and leave Rumsfeld...

then we'd only have to go retrieve an ass...:evilgrin: