Why I disagree with Sen. Clintons' smackdown of Rumsfeld yesterday

[Lerkfish]

I do not disagree with giving him a smackdown, he deserved it and more. I disagree with WHY she gave him a smackdown.

The crime she charged him with was incompetent execution of a policy, a FAILED policy, not a WRONG policy. That's an important distinction.

she didn't call him to task for WHY we went into Iraq, whether we were intentionally mislead into attacking Iraq, whether the president junta disregarded strictures of the war powers act, whether they ignored the requirements placed by congress before an invasion could take place....no, none of those things did she bring up.... just that they didn't succeed at it.

From this, I assume, if they had been more efficient, that would be ok.

I would like to applaud her for doing it...as FAR AS IT GOES. but there's more at stake here than implementing a policy badly. There are ethical imperatives concerning the policy itself.

I think we are in grave danger if only the execution of this policy is called into question, instead of the policy. Because then, all they need is to get a better Rumsfeld and continue to MORE EFFICIENTLY destroy the world.

[laura888]

1. You are so right.

I agree with you 100%.

[Lerkfish]

3. thanks.

[cgrindley]

2. She's still playing the middle, but watch the CT primary

But you watch her tone change if Lamont beats Lieberman. She'll start attacking the policy soon afterwards. If Lieberman wins, on the other hand, Clinton will back off on her criticism.

[napi21]

4. That's a completely different argument and issue.

Agree or disagree with going into Iraq in the first place is a different issue than what we did when we got there.

I still compare the US atttacking Iraq because of 9/11 to us attacking Mexico or South America because of Pearl Harbor. HOWEVER, IF Rummy and Co. had been right and the Iraqi's would have greeted us with flowers and thanks you's, I guarantee you, we would NOT be having this discussion today!

In yesterday's hearing, that's what Hillary was pointing out to Rummy! We went into that Country under HIS PLAN, and IT is a failure!

[Lerkfish]

5. right, I'm not disagreeing with their incompetence, I'm just saying

the incompetence issue has the potential to distract from the real issue of whether the policy in the first place is right.

If I called someone an incompetent serial killer, the attention is on the incompetence instead of the crime.

[Lerkfish]

6. and actually, *I* would still be having this discussion, I was AGAINST

going into Iraq before we did, so the success or failure made no difference to me .