Rumsfeld: Troops' families have no reason to be mad

[Waya]

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld praised the work Saturday of members of an Army brigade whose one-year tour in Iraq was extended just as they prepared to return home, and said he saw no reason for the soldiers or their families to be angry with him.

"I don't put it in that context," he said. "These people are all volunteers. They all signed up. They all are there doing what they're doing because they want to do it. They're proud of what they do. They do it very, very well."

The Pentagon chief was meeting privately later Saturday with 172nd Stryker Brigade families at Ft. Wainwright, the unit's home base.

Rumsfeld's aides said they expected as many as 600 people to attend and to have a chance to ask questions.

Reporters who traveled with Rumsfeld from Washington, D.C., were not allowed at the session.

Asked why reporters would not be permitted to cover the event, Rumsfeld said he makes it a practice to make all family meetings private.

More at link:


http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608270643

-------------------------------------
EDIT: COPYRIGHT. PLEASE POST ONLY 4
OR 5 PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED
NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[liberal N proud]

1. NO REASON?

These men and women have died for a lie, and the families shouldn't be MAD?

What an insensitive little man.
:wtf:

[rfranklin]

8. This is now the freeper mantra...dead soldiers, back door...

draft do not matter because it is a volunteer army. I've heard this a number of other places, so I think that it is now one of their talking points since WMDs, spreading democracy and "Saddam was a bad man" have all worn out. This one will soon be exhausted as well because the underlying thought is "don't worry your little head with that, they volunteered so we can do anything we want with them."

[Amonester]

23. Lay&Co of Enron also had employees who volunteered...

Yep. Nobody forced them to go work for these super-crooks, who all the while could not stop thinking about "New" ways to screw them all over, and over, and over...

Send Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and all PNACers to The Hague.

[Somnambulist]

49. Yeah, but a draft may not be too far away

They just called up a whole bunch of reserve people. I heard somewhere that after that, a draft can't be too far away. At least some people will be forced to put their butts where their mouths are.

[civildisoBDence]

60. Rumsfeld stands squarely behind the troops

...humping away. That's why they call it a back door draft.

Satire as thick as a president's skull

[goddess40]

2. None of them signed up to fight for a lie

(we'll maybe some skinheads and a few nuts) but the vast majority signed up to help with school, for a job and/or to honorably serve their country.

[Philosoraptor]

3. Only a reptile could ejaculate such an utterance.

[babylonsister]

4. He really is detached from reality, isn't he. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. I think he needs too be, it's the only way he can keep doing what

he's doing to the Troops. At what point do these "volunteers" stop being volunteers? Wasn't one tour in VietNam, the requirement? Dr. Death is just using up these "volunteers" and throwing them away when they are not able too do their "jobs" any longer. I would think that tired Troops do not make for a very efficient fight force. Being low on morale isn't good either.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Evil sonofabitch.

He's lucky the Alaskans didn't get physical.

[pork medley]

6. god will remember our iniquities

[DemonFighterLives]

7. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Rummy can't see any reasone- I guess the group could stay there forever.
The rest of their lives be damned.
:argh:

[riona]

9. What happened to

the importance of family? Guess that's just another repub myth.

[Ken Burch]

68. No, no, not "the importance of family"

it's "the importance of the rich white family". You didn't read the small print.

[mac56]

98. All together now, in three-part harmony:

"9/11..........CHANGED........EV-RY-THIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGG!"

[China_cat]

10. These extensions and recalls

of troops who have already done 2, 3, even 4 rounds in both Afghanistan and Iraq make me wonder if they aren't just going to keep sending them until they're all killed off. They've got 2 years, it's a managable goal.

[Lerkfish]

22. disposable troops

[BeHereNow]

86. disposable and abundant supply of troops...

given our sinking economy and job market.
Not to mention the dismal state of education
in this country.
BHN

[Lerkfish]

93. even with that, though, recruiting is falling way short.

[BeHereNow]

103. Give it some time...we haven't been completely "3rd worlded" yet

But the neocons are working on it...
It's gonna get worse, the economy that is.


When looking for 3 square meals a day, a roof over their heads
and medical/dental care, the enlistment will look better
and better to the young people who are inheriting the hubris.

BHN

[Just-plain-Kathy]

37. This has to be part of the Republican Master Plan...

I personally think if we don't address the issue of election fraud, democrats may never see power again.

But, If democracy is still in play....Republicans have to know they'll be out the door come November. A draft would be considered political suicide, Republicans will leave that to us. We'll be pushed into having a draft, and we'll lose power again in '08.

[PinkyisBlue]

52. The Republican Master Plan

I think the Republican Master Plan is to destroy the middle class so as to have an endless supply of soldiers for their wars. In the future, only the very wealthy will be able to go to college and/or get a decent job that pays a living wage. For the rest of us, it'll be one of two career choices: "soldiering" or slaving away for 80-100 hours weekly for several different employers to try to scrape by.

[Breeze54]

67. Uh...we're already there!

"In the future, only the very wealthy will be able to go to college..."

[Felinity]

11. #10 and first to K&R? Kick n/t

[driver8]

12. Can you imagine what moral must be like among those troops?

I was in the Navy and our Med cruises were 6 months long--nothing compared to what these guys are going through. Still, if we were ready to head home and our cruise was extended like this, our moral would have been in the toilet.

You can bet that every guy on the ship would be calling for Rumsfeld's head on a platter.

Rumsfeld's quotes here show just how clueless he really is.

[Ganja Ninja]

15. Navy

Never
Again
Volunteer
Yourself

Sound advice.

[malmapus]

62. US ARMY

Uncle Sam Aint Released Me Yet

Or backwards

Yes My Retarded Ass Signed Up

ahhh memories :D

[Cobalt-60]

96. Hey, I know that one!

In basic an instructor smiled and told us "your recruiter was the last one that f*cked you!.
I never thought I'd hear an American official out callous Herman Goering.
These dogs ARE leaving Washington, one way or another.

[goddess40]

40. low moral is linked to war protesters not the use and abuse...

... by bush and company, so the talking heads say.

[bluescribbler]

47. Extended cruises

On my second ship, our WestPac cruise was extended a month and a half due to increased action by the NVA and VC. When we learned that the skipper wanted to extend our cruise another month and a half so he could visit Australia, the crew nearly mutinied. He decided to "poll the crew". The "vote" was 80% against Australia. Skipper said that he was in command, and that if he decided to go, we'd go. But he wasn't going to do that. He felt that we were missing a great opportunity, but he wasn't going to push it.

Of course, there was some grumbling among the senior enlisted men. "I don't recall a vote on whether to go to the gun line", one said. "This isn't supposed to be a democracy", said another.

[AnneD]

61. In the Army...

Officers like your commander would get fragged.

[bluescribbler]

101. You're probably right

Good thing most of the crew didn't have access to lethal weapons.

[PurpleChez]

55. Don't mean to be a putz, but

remember, we're talking about the troops' morale, not their morals. Morale is probably low. Their morals, I'm sure, cover a wide range. The administrations morals, however, are nonexistant. Rummy can rot in hell. Nothing could happen to these criminal clowns that would make me feel sorry for them. NOTHING. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

[driver8]

57. Nope -- you aren't a putz. You are absolutely right.

It was very late when I posted and I should have read my post more carefully.

I'm the one who feels like a putz!!

[Kailassa]

104. Unless you're in freeper-land, then they're MORELS.

[HereSince1628]

13. so...'They volunteered so I can abuse them anyway I want?'

They signed up because they wanted it. They knew what was coming. Extensions on combat tours could easily be foreseen, er, ah, maybe I should rephrase that...

There were manpower needs that we knew about, and manpower needs that we didn't know about and manpower needs we knew we didn't know about. er ah, maybe I should rephrase that...

These guys are just so good at what they do, that we just have to keep playing them. Yeah, that's it. These guys are just so good that we can't get along without them.

Rumsfeld is sickening.

[unhappycamper]

14. Waya:

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four or five paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

In the future, please insure your posts adhere to this standard.

TIA,

unhappycamper
DU Moderator

[texpatriot2004]

16. They DID NOT volunteer to fight in a war of choice based on lies

for OIL!

[Breeze54]

17. He said, " no reason to be 'ANGRY' " !!!!!!!!!

Let's use the correct wording, shall we?
I don't think anybody should be softening anything he says! :nuke:
Especially Democrats!! He said it and he can own it!
Being 'mad' and being 'ANGRY', are very different!
:grr: :grr: FUCK RUMMY UP THE CABOOSE!!!! :grr: :grr:

[Ezlivin]

18. Bush volunteered too - then he un-volunteered himself

Why can't these guys do what he did?

Oh, that's right. They weren't born with the blue blood.

[TankLV]

88. I'm sure there is some DEMOCRATIC political staffs that they can easily

volunteer for - just like the CHICKEHHAWK In Chief himself did.

I mean, THEY continually say that the sonofaBITCH didn't receive any special treatment, don't they?!

I just wish ONE soldier would demand to be treated JUST LIKE THE WAR CRIMINAL HIMSELF during a "time of war", and get the press to cover his "request".

It could make for interesting coverage...

[bdamomma]

19. Rumsfeld is an arrogant little man

arrogance at it's highest level with this regime, I hope they all choke on it.

[berner59]

20. A lot of these kids signed up...

because of 9/11 and our worthless leader recently stated that Iraq has NOTHING to do with 9/11...

How all these parents aren't down in Crawford with Cindy surprises/amazes me...

[lonestarnot]

24. You shouldn't be amazed. They are ignorant enough to sacrifice to

the bushitlergod. They will continue to do so. There is not another way to look at "the team." Without the bushitler head, they are just average snakes.

[Lost-in-FL]

77. Not all of them...

are ignorant. Some do so cause they don't have another choice. They have to support families or they can't simply find a job. Some just can't get out of the forces due to financial harship or because the commander in chimp won't let them retire. Some don't want to leave their brothers in arms behind even when they don't support the war. Some do to get their citizenship or to better themselves by getting an occupation (not all go to Iraq, some have medical units with great possibilities of getting a good job once they are out). The forces are a great place to be but unfortunately in the past 6 years its been run by shitheads.

I don't buy the crap of fighting for freedom and I know of some soldiers who don't.

[lonestarnot]

79. Each and every reason you listed for getting in or staying in is not

enough to fight a bushitler war. There are other ways.

[Lost-in-FL]

81. Like??

??

[lonestarnot]

82. It is better to borrow the money to stay in school than fight for that

fucker. It is better to earn experience in the medical field in a private sector that fight for that fucker and as far as citizenship goes, fuck it sneak across like everyone else.

[TankLV]

89. How about because these men and women truly love their country

no matter the WAR CRIMINALS in charge, and love the "profession" they have chosen, in spite of everything?

My son-in-law volunteered just 3 years ago and is still in Iraq - and he intends to get out when his time is up - but not before.

Some people just love the honor and sacrifice of SERVING THEIR COUNTRY.

Most of these men and women have high ideals.

[Imagevision]

91. If we cut and run, we would be supporting our troops...

Did our troops get 3 years of basic training??!!

[lonestarnot]

99. Love of this country has nothing to do with the war in Iraq. Totally

misplaced values and trickery could make that so. Service to the country can be done without bloodshed! I do it every fucking day. That argument is tired and worn out in this war profiteer business.

[madmunchie]

92. A lot of these people over there signed up BEFORE Bush

People are being recalled back into service to. There are people that are just too afraid to run to another country to dodge service to their country.

Parents are holding onto the thought that their kids are over their fighting being patriotic for their country. They cannot allow themselves to believe that their son/daughter is putting their life on the line over a bunch of bullshit. That would kill them. Not everybody can handle things the same way that you do.

Some of these kids going over there, are just that, KIDS, not really understanding what is going on, especially if their parents are Bushbots. I firmly believe that guys from 18 - 22 or so, have a lot of maturing to do to get past the overload of testosterone that nature has given them.

My son was in the services right after HS. He did 4 years and was out. It wasn't for him. I'll tell you something though, he now stands heads taller than all of his step brothers that merely went on to jobs in the trades. They are all making good livings, but his perspective, work ethic and way of looking at life in general is so far ahead of theirs it isn't even funny. He is a disciplined, hardworking - worldly - guy. He also wasn't a "yes" man. That is why he didn't re up in the service. He likes to do his own thing and he likes to question things as well. He isn't too big on acting without questioning.

For you to make such a general broad sweeping condemnation of all of those serving in Iraq and their families is just plain wrong. I pray for every one of them, because they need all the help that they can get.

[lonestarnot]

100. I'm wrong because you disagree with me? Not.

Every word is truth.

[w4rma]

25. Fark you, Rumsfailed. (nt)

[Crankie Avalon]

26. I guess he thinks they should have known better and have...

...only themselves to blame...to paraphrse Otter from Animal House, "You fucked up...you trusted us!"

[Thoreau-Ly]

30. Yes, And

Death is sooo funny, isn't it, Donny?

This guy is a nightmare wrapped in the guise of the most annoying, peevish "public" "servant" in history. Washington would slap him silly.

FTMFA!

[WinkyDink]

42. 'You trusted us!" IS one of the all-time great lines!

Works in RL, too!

[Breeze54]

69. "You fucked up...you trusted us!"... no shit, eh?! Great quote!

:) I think I'll use it more often! TY! ;)

[LSK]

27. What. An. Asshole.

Ever hear of the National Guard Dumsfeld????

2 weeks a year, 1 weekend a month....

[sakabatou]

38. My thoughts exactly

[The Wizard]

28. Rummy is apparently

injecting testosterone for an impotence problem. This explains quite a bit.
He lives vicariously through others better than he is, as does his partner, Dead Eye Dick Cheney, the pecker-head. Old laboratory rats injected with testosterone have demonstrated mental illness. So we have an old shit house rat gone mad from a testosterone overdose running the greatest military force in history while the rest of the jerkoffs in the Administration loot the Treasury. As they used to say in vaudeville, "Get the hook."

[truth2power]

31. Great post, Wizard! LOL!..

Is that really true...."Old labratory rats...."? :P

Yer right! "Get the hook."

[Thoreau-Ly]

32. Maybe a Modified Marvic Treble Would Work.

You have this, then you have whatever Bush is on, booze or drugs. Sandwich Cheney between these two sopping white bread excuses for men, and viola, we're eating crow.

Argh! We need to hire some really good pirates. Argh!

Or maybe, Popeye.

http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21206/

Argh!

[The Wizard]

80. Rummy, The Dummy and Dick

Oh my.

[genie_weenie]

29. Damn! These Governmental Dudes are smart!

U
Signed the
Motherfuckin'
Contract

Ensure the minimum wage never gets raised,
spend billions on slick advertising, Join the Navy or Marines and you will be a bad ass and hard as nails and women will want you,
depress economic conditions across the country,
Ensure the public school system indoctrinates children into Allegiance to the State and Voila!
You have a "Volunteer" Military...

[jhrobbins]

33. At times like this I ask myself, WWACS (what would Ann Coulter

say) and then i think the polar opposite and know that this is the correct response. SInce I know she parrots Rummy, then I also know he is way off base.
It's just my little litmus test.

:hi:

[tomreedtoon]

34. Yeah, he's not Santa Claus, he's Satan's Claw!

I'm surprised none of caught that reference lower down in the Free Press article...

>Rumsfeld said he would make no promises that the full brigade would be back home by the holidays.

>"I'd love to be Santa Claus. I'm not," he told reporters during the flight to Fairbanks.

Okay, there's a nightmare scenario for you. You take your kids to the mall in December, and there on the red plush throne is Rumsfeld with a beard...and candy cane pens and a bunch of contracts.

[earth mom]

53. aka SCROOGE! nt

[peacetalksforall]

35. No reasons for the families to be angry with Rumsfeld ...

Does he write his own stuff or do Rovians write it for him. I think Ledeen writes it - Ledeen doesn't ever get it right.

Unbelievable. Made more unbelievable that supporters are echoing it. Gives the word and concenpt of echo a bad name.

The worst storm of mankind's history is hitting us. So unsubtle. So indelicate.

Rusfeld, the joketer-monster that the press giggles at.

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

36. My

how easy it is to send someone else's children to die for your lie. When will this nightmare be over???

[jmowreader]

39. They should be SO GLAD I'm not in this shit

Drastic times call for drastic measures, and the drastic measures in this case involve smoking weed in formation.

They also involve bringing enough for everybody.

I figure you get stoned during the duty day in front of the first sergeant enough times, eventually they will kick you out.

[WinkyDink]

41. I wish people would stop enlisting, period. Believe me, I know it's

not that simple; my 18-year-old second-cousin just signed up for the Marines, over his mother's wishes. What can you do?

[TankLV]

90. We share her feelings.

What can you do...

[GOPFighter]

43. Oh Yeah?

"They all are there doing what they're doing because they want to do it." So you expect me to believe that if you asked them if they wanted to stay or go home they would all elect to stay?!!! You lying bastard!

[TheCowsCameHome]

44. Rumsfeld should be burning in hell.

[Beelzebud]

45. Rumsfeld has no reason to live.

[iamahaingttta]

46. When did these guys join up?

Personally, I believe that anybody who joined up after about May of 2003 is a sucker and deserves whatever abuse he or she gets.

Sorry...

[Somnambulist]

48. Yeah, RIGHT

If that's true, why is the military undergoing a big examination to make sure everyone reports death numbers correctly? How'd you like to be Pat Tilman's family, and get the wrong report?

Good thing there, dude. For a minute, with an address like "freep.com" I thought your link was to a certain *other* website. I forgot the address is different.

[LynneSin]

50. Well now that he said that I guess I'll stop getting angry about the war..

NOT!!!!

No sense of responsiblity in this administration whatsoever!

[earth mom]

51. No Rummy-they didn't sign up for your lies and b.s!

:grr:

[DinahMoeHum]

54. Is this guy certifiable or what?

Somebody please get the straitjacket.

:silly:

[Laurab]

56. What an evil little thug

I can't call him a "man". "No reason to be angry"? I wonder why reporters aren't permitted to cover the event. I have a feeling it's because a lot of the attendees will be "unreasonably" angry.

[Botany]

58. Mad?

Just because they are fighting, bleeding, and dying for a big ####ing
lie as their armor is cut and the national guard and reserves loose their
jobs as families crumble under the weight of Donny's crap .... why should
they be mad?

[Harry Monroe]

59. Mad???

No, they don't have any right to be mad. They should be LIVID!!!!!!!!!!!
:nuke: :argh: :mad: :banghead: :grr:

[Breeze54]

70. They are! ..........

....ANGRY!!!!

:nuke:

[valerief]

63. Borowitz takes on Rumsfeld today

Scientists studying Secretary Rumsfeld have for some time believed that he is not worthy of the Secretary of Defense designation and should be demoted to some lesser position, such as Postmaster General.

Still others believe that some new definition should be invented to characterize Mr. Rumsfeld, such as Dwarf Secretary of Defense.

"At the very least, the language he speaks should be demoted from English to gibberish," Dr. Kyosuke said.


http://borowitzreport.com/

[young_at_heart]

64. Rumsfeld and credibility = 0

This man deserves to be reviled.

[rman]

65. Rummy, your sociopathy is showing

[dogday]

66. He's an asshole

a murderous one at that.... blood on his hands will never come off....

[emmadoggy]

71. God, I despise that monster more than I thought it was possible to

despise someone. Could he be any more smug, condescending, or nasty??
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Nebulous Abstraction]

72. What a creep . Typical reckless and

immoral neocon who is unwilling to admit to error. This pederast was the main architect of the Iraq fiasco and his indifference to the suffering his shitheaded-planning has caused Service Members & their families is truly appalling.

[demigoddess]

73. you know what military people are calling this guy about now?

DAMNCIVILIAN, and yes, it is one word. That is what we always call the most cowardly, idiotic, and most downright &)(*&&^%$$##@ people.

[Ilsa]

74. They are volunteers and their trust has been abused, Sec Heartless.

God, he makes me madder than hell most days.

[Pierre.Suave]

75. By leaving the troops over there

they cant come back here and overthrow the government...

[ElboRuum]

76. They have EVERY REASON TO BE ANGRY

They have a reasonable right to assume that those sending them into battle are not doing so capriciously, with due attention paid to equipping them properly, and to have a goal which doesn't practically guarantee perpetual service.

Rumsfeld is right. The troops are upholding their end of the deal. Too bad HE ISN'T. THIS is why their parents are concerned. I wonder if he'd be changing his mind if the 600 people expected to attend expressly asked for media coverage. I'd bet not.

[DirtyDawg]

78. One more grandstand trip Rummy...

...Hey Don, I think you need to head back over to Iraq one more time to 'show the troops' just how much you believe in what they're doing...just make sure you remind them that 'they hired on' for this job so they need to quit their bitchin'. Then I think geedubya won't have to ask you to step down so he can repalce you with his 'butt-boy' LIEberman...cause the troops will have 'fragged' your sorry ass. Hell, the spin meisters would probably give you a medal or something.

[Anakin Skywalker]

83. Typical Rethug Belief

They "volunteered" so let's abuse them, just like how our great American corporations do to the labor force of the US.

[Julius Civitatus]

84. Exactly! Neocons have treated our troops like disposable toys

they can use to wage their wars. Republicans and neocons have demonstrated NO RESPECT for our volunteer army. Instead they treat them like the unfortunate victims of some refinancing scam: "Hey buddy! You signed for this, so pay up!" It's immoral and disgusting.

[cyberpj]

85. Rumsfeld, indicating that commanders chose to extend the 172nd Brigade

translation: "don't blame me!"

[TankLV]

87. What a vile little man.

What I truly wish for this WAR CRIMINAL I cannot say here or my post will be deleted, for it is against the rules.

But I wish for this, and hope and pray for this, to happen to every single one of these WAR CRIMINALS - and to happen soon.

That is all I can say on this topic.

[Swamp Rat]

94. Yeah, why such a fuss over a few dead soldiers?

[emald]

95. it is criminal that these folks aren't back home yet

as we say here in alaska where we don't have to worry about being ordered about too much "piss poor planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part". these folks doing the fighting signed contracts which they thought let them out at a certain date. So now just because of the poor planning of uncle rummy they are paying the price of a back door draft. Sickening. I retch on whats happening to the country I enlisted to serve. It is really sad.

[Broken_Hero]

97. What a load of garbage....

I hope this man gets fired, and taken to task for his mismanagement, and misdeeds...his failures have cost lives.

[rrasile]

102. No reason

Hell Rummy, why don't we just talk to a few of the family members. You know, the one's that you kiss up to just to get what you want. There's little chance that you'll get your tight ass blown away. Tell those who take the risk the frigging truth. People are not believing your shit and you can't get any new people to join in your war.