Rumsfeld is deranged and should be fired; withdraw troops from Iraq now

[ProSense]

Zakaria: Rumsfeld ‘Seems In A Parallel Universe and Slightly Deranged’
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=sh


He should have been fired years ago:

Dean, Kerry call on Rumsfeld to quit
Defense secretary accused of ‘pattern of deception’ on Iraq

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:56 p.m. ET Sept. 26, 2003
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - Democratic presidential candidates Howard Dean and John Kerry have called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign, citing a “pattern of deception” in his statements on Iraq and a failure to plan for the postwar period.


KERRY, A SENATOR from Massachusetts, first said Thursday that Rumsfeld should step down, saying he proceeded in Iraq “in an arrogant, inappropriate way that has frankly put America at jeopardy.”

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3087318

Kerry: Rumsfeld Should Quit

May 6, 2004

(CBS/AP) Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has renewed his call for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down amid the growing scandal over the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris.

"I called for Rumsfeld's resignation months ago over Iraq," Kerry told reporters Thursday. He said the abuse reports only compound the reason for Rumsfeld to quit.

"It's the way it was handled. The lack of information to the Congress, the lack of information to the country, not managing it, not dealing with it, recognizing it as an issue. But look this is, this is the frosting," Kerry said during a campaign appearance at a California high school.

"I think Iraq and the miscalculation and the overextension of the armed forces and the entire way in which they rushed the nation to war under these assumptions that he was making — which were incorrect — is a huge, historic miscalculation and I thought he should have resigned then."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/07/politics/main616272.shtml

Kerry Suggests Replacements for Rumsfeld
Thursday, May 13, 2004

WASHINGTON — Presidential candidate John Kerry (search) said Wednesday the war in Iraq (search) is a failure and that a shake-up is needed to end the Bush administration's mistakes and incompetence, a sharp critique that sparked more Republican criticism that the Democrat is making the war a political issue.

"Why should we reward more of the same? Why should we reward miscalculations of what it would take to make the peace?" Kerry asked in an interview with Associated Press Radio. "I think that it's been one miscalculation after another, frankly. And arrogance that has lost America respect and influence in the world."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119741,00.html

Kerry: Rumsfeld 'accountable' for Abu Ghraib
Oakland Tribune, Aug 26, 2004 by Jodi Wilgoren, New York Times


GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Teeing off two reports detailing abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday renewed his call for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign, citing the need for "accountability that runs through the civilian command."

"It's not just the little person at the bottom who ought to pay the price of responsibility," Kerry told union members at a steamfitters hall in Philadelphia before heading to Green Bay. "Harry Truman had that sign on the desk and it said, 'The buck stops here.' The buck doesn't stop at the Pentagon. And in this case it doesn't just stop with any military personnel."

Speaking on the same day that the Army announced that 35 military intelligence soldiers had been implicated in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, also called on President Bush to appoint another commission to probe the scandal, focused on the chain of command and the Geneva Conventions.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20040826/ai_n14580880

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Kerry asks for supporters to sign Rumsfeld recall petition

Kerry, who recently returned from a Middle East trip that included a visit to Iraq, wrote in the letter to supporters "please join me in my call for President Bush to fire Donald Rumsfeld."

"He's the man responsible for the well-being of our troops. He's neglected his duty. He's made excuses. It's time for him to go," Kerry wrote.

http://ifk-johnkerry.blogspot.com/2005/01/kerry-asks-for-supporters-to-sign.html

Mr. President,
I was surprised and disappointed that you told the Washington Post last week that no Bush administration official should be held accountable for our failures in Iraq. As the situation worsens and more American lives are lost and troops deployed to the region, it's time to stop rewarding incompetence and to start demanding accountability. For the sake of our men and women in uniform and their families here at home, I urge you to start by replacing Donald Rumsfeld. His record of failure and his inability to play it straight with the American people and our troops overseas make him unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense for one more day, never mind four more years.

If you care about restoring our credibility around the world and our credibility with our troops on the ground in Iraq, you've got to start by removing Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. That's why I am joining Senator John Kerry and hundreds of thousands of Americans in adding my name to the johnkerry.com petition calling for Rumsfeld's immediate removal from office.

I urge you to act without delay. We can't afford any more auto-penned letters of condolences and shifting stories about what kind of armor we have to protect our troops.

American soliders and their families are counting on you as Commander in Chief to hold those in charge of the war in Iraq to the highest standards.


Paid for by Friends of John Kerry, Inc.

http://www.johnkerry.com/petition/rumsfeld2.php

October 31, 2005
Kerry Blasts Rumsfeld Again
Colmes asks, and Senator John Kerry (MA) blasts:

COLMES: Do you think there should be resignations, with or without indictments?

KERRY: Well, I said about two years ago that I thought Donald Rumsfeld should resign because his management of the war has really been inexcusable. Every prediction made has been proven to be wrong.

He neglected the most important thing, which is do all you can to protect the troops. And still, there are problems with up-armored Humvees or armor. I think it's a disgrace, and I think he should have long ago resigned.

http://www.dems.us/2005/10/kerry_blasts_ru.html

While everyone agrees Rummy must go, this is the bigger problem:

John Kerry: “Administration Sending U.S. Troops into Crossfire of Escalating Civil War”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2755791&mesg_id=2756223


Stop the madness: fire Rumsfeld! Save lives: withdraw the troops!

Kerry-Feingold Amendment

Read Amendment Excerpts

The Senate voted on the Kerry-Feingold proposal to redeploy American combat troops out of Iraq by July 1, 2007. Thirteen Senators voted for it.

It was an important step towards ending the administration's aimless, open-ended course in Iraq and having Iraqis stand up for Iraq.

When Jack Murtha first stepped up to the challenge of leadership in the House on Iraq, he was alone. But a few months later, 140 House members voted to support his leadership.

When we in the Senate began the fight to change course in Iraq, we too were almost alone. But our numbers are growing -- and that is progress you made happen.

First and foremost, Russ and I thank you for your support. Over the last few weeks, hundreds of thousands of you have joined our effort to bring our combat troops home. Once again, the johnkerry.com community has shown its deep commitment to fighting for a better course for America.

We ask you to join us now in honoring the strength and leadership of the Senators who stood with you:

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), co-sponsor
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), co-sponsor
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Please call, write, or email these Senators and acknowledge their leadership on Iraq.

Let me be absolutely clear. Russ Feingold and I would have forced this vote even if the outcome were going to be 98 to 2.

Ending the Bush administration's disastrous approach to this war isn't about counting votes. It isn't about legislative strategy or electoral calculation. It's about applying constant pressure to change a broken course.

It's about utterly rejecting the desperate tactics of cowardly political operatives like Karl Rove who, as John Murtha pointed out, have no qualms about telling our soldiers to "stay the course" from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices at the White House.

It's about doing what's right.

Karl Rove may worry about losing votes. It's our job to worry about young Americans losing their lives. It's our job to provide a new vision that offers real security for America while giving the Iraqis their best chance for a stable Iraq.

I will keep doing what's right on Iraq, and I won't stop until our troops are home and the future of Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqi people.

I know you'll keep working right alongside me.

http://www.johnkerry.com/features/iraqamendment/index.html

June 21, 2006
Excerpts of S.2766 introduced in the United States Senate on June 21, 2006

Purpose: To require the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq, encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security, and achieve victory in the war on terror.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES—109th Cong., 2nd Sess.

S.2766

SEC. 1084 UNITED STATES POLICY ON IRAQ.

(a) REDEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS FROM IRAQ.—

(1) SCHEDULE FOR REDEPLOYMENT. -- For purposes of strengthening the national security of the United States, the President shall redeploy, commencing immediately, United States forces from Iraq by July 1, 2007, in accordance with a schedule coordinated with the Government of Iraq, leaving only the minimal number of forces that are critical to completing the mission of standing up Iraqi security forces, conducting targeted and specialized counterterrorism operations, and protecting United States facilities and personnel.

(2) CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS REQUIRED. -- The President shall consult with Congress regarding the schedule for redeployment and shall submit such schedule to Congress as part of the report required under subsection (c).

(3) MAINTENACE OF OVER-THE-HORIZON TROOP PRESENCE. -- The President should maintain an over-the-horizon troop presence to prosecute the war on terror and protect regional security interests.

(b) IRAQ SUMMIT.—The President should work with leaders of the Government of Iraq to convene a summit as soon as possible that includes these leaders, leaders of the governments of each country bordering Iraq, representatives of the Arab League, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, representatives of the European Union, and leaders of the governments of each permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, for the purpose of reaching a comprehensive political agreement for Iraq that engenders the support of Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds by ensuring the equitable distribution of oil revenues, disbanding the militias, strengthening internal security, reviving reconstruction efforts and fulfilling related international economic aid commitments, securing Iraq’s borders, and providing for a sustainable federalist structure in Iraq.

(c) REPORT ON REDEPLOYMENT.—

(1) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, submit to Congress a report that sets forth the strategy for the redeployment of United States forces from Iraq by July 1, 2007.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2006_0620.html

[wakeme2008]

1. the other day he said the Army was in better shape and better equipped

than they were 5-8 years ago... Gee who was President 5 to 8 years ago... :grr:

[consumerwatchdog]

3. rummy is a dummy

why should anyone believe anything rummy says about anything? he's done nothing but lie and twist the truth his entire career...

[liberal N proud]

2. As rummy is a key figure in the PNAC's plan, he will remain a key

figure in the regime as it moves forward with the PNAC plan for the new world order.

The entire regime is made up of people that would otherwise be institutionalized for insanity or criminal activity.

The problem is taking them out of control of our country.

[blm]

7. The only way to make it happen is by increasing the pressure so the

words are at least said out loud in some consistent fashion.

Imagine if MANY Dem senators had come out and given Kerry the back up necessary in 2003 and 4 when he first called for Rumsfeld's head.

[karynnj]

4. kicked and recommended

This is a great compilation of many calls to fix Iraq and get rid of Rumsfeld.

[ProSense]

5. In Iraq, It’s Difficult to Trust Anyone in Uniform

August 3, 2006
Security

In Iraq, It’s Difficult to Trust Anyone in Uniform

By DAMIEN CAVE

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 2 — The camouflaged Iraqi commandos who kidnapped 20 people from a pair of central Baghdad offices this week used Interior Ministry vehicles and left little trace of their true identities.

Were they legitimate officers? Members of a Shiite or Sunni death squad? Or criminals in counterfeit uniforms bought at the market?

Snip...

American and Iraqi officials have been promising for weeks to address the problem. This week, the interior minister, Jawad Bolani, acknowledged that rogues were among his ranks. He told Parliament that new uniforms and identification cards would soon be supplied to hobble those “who carry out bad activities under the cover of this institution.”

The first 2,000 of 25,000 new uniforms are scheduled to be handed out later this month, officials said. Made with imported camouflage cloth and intricate patches and insignias, they are designed to be difficult to copy. Their source, as well as other details about them, is being kept secret in part to reduce the risk of counterfeiting. But only a small percentage of the 145,000 Interior Ministry officers — from the national police, public order brigades and other forces — will get them.

Even if they all had new uniforms, trust would be hard to resuscitate in Baghdad, where dozens of people are killed or found dead every day. With more forces being added to the streets as part of a security plan begun two months ago, the permutations of officialdom have spiraled.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/03/world/middleeast/03uniforms.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

[ProSense]

6. Losing an Army

July 22, 2006

Losing an Army

Earlier this week I linked to a commentary from William S. Lind in which he warned that war with Iran could result in the loss of the 140,000 man army America currently has bogged down in Iraq. This may have seemed far-fetched, given the enormous military disparity between the two sides. But Col. Pat Lang, a former intelligence officer, explains how and why it could happen:

American troops all over central and northern Iraq are supplied with fuel, food, and ammunition by truck convoy from a supply base hundreds of miles away in Kuwait. All but a small amount of our soldiers' supplies come into the country over roads that pass through the Shiite-dominated south of Iraq . . .

Southern Iraq is thoroughly infiltrated by Iranian special operations forces working with Shiite militias, such as Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades. Hostilities between Iran and the United States or a change in attitude toward US forces on the part of the Baghdad government could quickly turn the supply roads into a "shooting gallery" 400 to 800 miles long.

(Christian Science Monitor, via No Quarter)


Snip..

In other words, in the event of a real world war -- as opposed to the kind that pundits pontificate about on Fox News -- Centcom would either have to "pacify" the transportation routes through southern Iraq quickly and ruthlessly (which might not be possible, given the troops available and the possibility some Iraqi units might turn on their putative allies) or try to evacuate some or most U.S. forces from Iraq, either by air or ground.

We're talking, on other words, about a potential debacle -- the worst U.S. military defeat since Pearl Harbor. Not because the Iranians are brilliant strategists or tough fighters (although they may be; we really don't know) but because the Iraq occupation has left the U.S. Army dangerously overextended, given its massive supply requirements.

more...

Army extends cost-cutting, despite emergency funding bill

By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, July 22, 2006

Snip...

The Army has more than 100,000 soldiers deployed to Iraq, plus responsibility for logistic support for itself and its sister services. It also equips, trains and supports the Iraqi security forces.

Snip...

Belt-tightening measures that will stay in place include:

Limiting supply purchases to critical wartime needs only

Cancellation and/or postponement of all non-mission-essential travel

Stopping shipment of goods, unless necessary to support deployed units or those preparing to deploy

A hiring freeze on new civilians, except for new interns and lateral moves/promotions of current employees

Releasing temporary employees (who will not be hired back even with receipt of supplemental funding)

A freeze on all new contract awards and all new task orders on existing contracts

Restrictions on the use of government credit cards

Snip...

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, said July 14 that in 2004 it cost $4 billion to repair or replace war equipment, but now it has reached $12 billion to $13 billion. “And in my view, we will continue to see this escalate,” he told a Defense Forum Foundation roundtable on the Army’s role on the war on terror in Washington. The Army is using up equipment at four times the rate for which it was designed, he added.

Snip...

The Army chief said there is too little money available to keep up with equipment repairs. He said the Army’s five major repair depots are operating at only 50 percent of capacity, resulting in a backlog of 1,000 Humvees awaiting attention at the Red River Army Depot in Texas and 500 tanks at a depot in Alabama. The Army’s 2006 budget is $98.2 billion, and the 2007 budget request not yet approved by Congress seeks $111 billion for the Army.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=38797

[ProSense]

8. It appears that everyone is running for cover on Iraq!

August 4, 2006
Intelligence

Senator Faults Bid to Classify Report on Iraq

By MARK MAZZETTI

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 — The Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee lashed out at the White House on Thursday, criticizing attempts by the Bush administration to keep secret parts of a report on the role Iraqi exiles played in building the case for war against Iraq.

The chairman, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, announced Thursday that his committee had completed the first two parts of its long-delayed investigation of prewar intelligence. But he chastised the White House for efforts to classify most of the part that examines intelligence provided to the Bush administration by the Iraqi National Congress, a controversial exile group.

“I have been disappointed by this administration’s unwillingness to declassify material contained in these reports, material which I believe better informs the public, but that does not — I repeat, does not — jeopardize intelligence operations, sources and methods,” Mr. Roberts said in a statement issued Thursday.

One completed section of the Senate report is said to be a harsh critique of how information from the Iraqi exile group made its way into intelligence community reports, said people who have read the report but spoke on condition of anonymity because it is still classified.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/04/world/middleeast/04intel.html?ref=middleeast

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS): Chairman of the Senate Cover-up Committee

As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Pat Roberts’s (R-KS) duty is “to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the intelligence activities of the United States” and “to assure that such activities are in conformity with the Constitution and laws of the United States.” But on the most important intelligence issues facing Americans – such as the manipulation of Iraq intelligence, warrantless domestic spying, and torture - Roberts has transformed his committee into a “Senate Coverup Committee” for the Bush administration.

Snip...

Iraq Intelligence
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released Phase I of its Iraq prewar intelligence report on July 9, 2004. The report found numerous failures in the intelligence-gathering and analysis process in the lead-up to the Iraq war. Roberts politicized the report by attacking Ambassador Joseph Wilson and by falsely asserting the report absolved the White House from charges of misusing prewar intelligence. After months of stonewalling, Nov. 14, 2005, was the negotiated deadline for the Senate Intelligence Committee to report on Phase II of its investigation into the administration’s use of prewar intelligence. More than three months later, the public still has not received a report. Roberts has impeded progress on the report and reneged on his pledge to complete Phase II. Below is a chronological breakdown of Roberts’s efforts to squash the report:

http://thinkprogress.org/roberts-coverup

Senate intelligence chief urges end to Iraq probe

By David Morgan | March 14, 2006


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday urged lawmakers to begin wrapping up the second phase of its investigation into U.S. intelligence on prewar Iraq, despite fresh demands from Democrats for further scrutiny.

Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record), the Kansas Republican, laid out a schedule for completing four of the investigation's five segments by the end of April and pledged to release much of the findings to the public.

The largest segment of the Phase 2 investigation, which has increasingly become a lightning rod for partisan squabbling, promises to examine whether Bush administration officials exaggerated intelligence on Iraq as they made their public case for war in 2002 and 2003.

Snip...

"The Democrats are saying (the probe) is not developing the answers they want -- the answers they want amount to 'Bush lied' -- so they just want to keep looking," said one aide, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about committee affairs.

more...

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/03/15/senate_intelligence_chief_urges_end_to_iraq_probe

[ProSense]

9. DSM letter:

Kerry's June 2005 letter to the Intelligence Committee on Phase II of the investigation into pre-war intelligence. (1 meg.)


Roberts' response.

11/01/2005
Statement by John Kerry on Closed-Door Senate Session and Senate Failures to Investigate Pre-War Intelligence

“For a year and a half, the Republican leadership in Congress has refused again and again to complete Phase II of their investigation into pre-war intelligence failures. All the requests I and other Senators have made of the Intelligence Committee for more information have been pushed aside. The Republican leadership has been complicit in a political cover-up of the decisions that led to war. Nothing could be more serious or more deserving of full public disclosure. The families of our troops deserve the truth, as does every American. Now that one of the chief architects of the war in Iraq has been indicted for related crimes, it is more important than ever to know how intelligence was presented to the Congress.

“The country and the Congress were misled into war. It is deeply troubling that the Republicans in Washington are so afraid to share the truth with the American people. Clearly it will require an independent, outside investigation to get to the bottom of this.”

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=248185

[ProSense]

10. Rummy suggests referencing a dictionary to define civil war:

Iraq sectarian violence high but it's not a civil war: Rumsfeld

Wed Aug 2, 7:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said sectarian violence has reached a high level in Iraq but is not yet a "classic civil war."

"Clearly, there's sectarian violence. People are being killed. Sunnis are killing Shia; Shia are killing Sunnis. Kurds seem not to be involved," he told reporters.

"It's unfortunate. And they need a reconciliation process," he said.

Some Shiites are moving out of Sunni areas and Sunnis out of Shiite areas, while other Iraqis are leaving the country to escape the violence, he said.

"Does that constitute a civil war?" Rumsfeld asked. "I guess you can decide for yourself. And we can all go to the dictionary and decide what you want to call something.

"But it seems to me that it is not a classic civil war at this stage," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060802/pl_afp/usiraqmilitary_060802235008

[karynnj]

11. Kick!!!!

So many reasons to fire Rumsfeld - very nice summary.