Please let it be true...

The possiblity of Rummy leaving, I mean: Rumsfeld's exchange with soldier could prove to be his undoing by Drew Brown Knight-Ridder 12/17/04.

Musenla at her De Profundis blog (only the title is in Latin!) has posted several links and gives a good summary of all the flak Rummy has been taking from conservative Republicans the last few days, even though Dear Leader Bush has already announced he's keeping Rummy as Secretary of Defense: Under Fire 12/17/04.

The title reference in Brown's article is to Rummy's sneering performance in his question-and-answer session with US troops in Kuwait who were about to be sent into Bush and Rummy's war of choice in Iraq.  Brown says:

Rumsfeld has weathered plenty of criticism, but his remarks have provoked fury among fellow Republicans, rank-and-file soldiers, influential military thinkers and retired brass who've generally supported his handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and his efforts to reshape the military.

The secretary's brusque dismissal of Spc. Thomas Wilson's concerns, however, raises questions about whether he's publicly betrayed the trust of the men and women in the armed forces, and whether they've lost faith in his leadership.

The following is a great example of a political-hack way of saying, we knew he was a jerk all along, but now it's become so obvious that it's starting to be embarassing:

"What made Rumsfeld's response to the soldier's question a turning point was that it crystallized concern about his attitude and performance that has been growing for years," said Loren Thompson, the head of the Lexington Institute, a defense policy group that has long supported Rumsfeld but has become increasingly critical.

"Rumsfeld's abstract, dismissive response to the soldier's question was very much in character, but it underscored the lack of political sensitivity and accountability that many feel have characterized his tenure," Thompson said.

Oops!  Brown even goes off the reservation of standard press corps blandness and actually spells out reality on something without finding someone else to quote it from.  Referring to a weak attempt by Rummy to make amends for his performance in Kuwait during an appearance on Official Party Television (Fox News), Brown says: "His explanation might not be enough to allay concerns in the ranks. A leader who conveys disregard for his or her troops' well-being no longer can lead effectively."

Wow!  It's nice to see a reporter slip in some direct, sensible observation in plain language occasionally.

"I can see how that specialist might perceive it as arrogant and essentially saying, `I don't care whether you live or die,'" said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Hughes, deputy commander of 1st Army (Reserve) from 2001 to 2004. "He has absolutely no credibility with the soldiers anymore, and remember they are the ones who are out there pulling the triggers."

Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who led the 24th Infantry Division to victory in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, related a story about a young Marine he visited Thursday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Marine, who lost a leg in Iraq, was upbeat and blunt.

"Sir, I just have three stripes, and not three stars, but I do not understand why we don't use tanks and armored vehicles. Those people are killing us with our tactics and lack of armor," McCaffrey recalled the man saying.

"Rumsfeld is a disaster for our national security," McCaffrey said. "He is starting to unravel, forgets what he has been told. Staff that surrounds him filters and blocks to prevent the backlash on bad news."

I certainly won't be sorry to see Rumsfeld leave office, if it comes to that.  I have no confidence that Bush and Cheney will select anyone better to take his place.  But Rumsfeld is one of the most reprehensible individuals ever to serve in high office in the United States.  He's a disgrace to his office and a disgrace to the country.

Musenla also has a very good point to keep in mind following this particular story:  "Too much focus on Rumsfeld takes focus away from George W. Bush.  It is Mr. Bush who chose to keep him in office and is ultimately responsible for his failures."

Very true.

Something else that's important to mentionabout this.  Rumsfeld's arrogance and incompetence and sneering disrespect is nothing new.  It took a soldier protesting by asking a direct question to finally get the media to start reporting in a half-decent way what anyone who's been following Rumsfeld saw long ago.  Where was Congress in all this?  The Democrats should have someone on the floor of the House and the Senate at least once per week calling for Rumsfeld's resignation and pointing out what a nasty and incompetent and lying official he is. 

Brown quotes an anonymous "senior administration official"  (Colin Powell? Condi-Condi?) saying, "Until Kuwait, he was protected by the fact that criticism of him seemed like criticism of the troops."

What kind of a doofus statement is that?  The troops in Iraq have known all along that the armoring was inadequate. The troops in Iraq have known every since the insurgency began that they are fighting a war where the difference between "front lines" and "rear areas" are almost nonexistent and that vehicles in the "rear areas" also needed armor.

Criticizing Rummy for authorizing and encouraging criminal torture would have "seemed like criticism of the troops"?  Criticizing him for blowing off what planning that actually had been done for the post-invasion period would have "seemed like criticism of the troops"?  What kind of haze are these people living in?

Mark Fiore has an animated comic on Rummy's Greatest Hits 12/16/04 that's worth a look and listen.