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2004-12-24 Home Front: WoT

VDH on Rumsfeld Brouhaha: "Rumsfeld's resignation would be a grave mistake"

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Posted by lex 2004-12-24 12:31:22 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Every time I listen to Rumsfeld and Bush's hyperventilating critics on the war's course I'm reminded of Joe Kennedy Sr.'s vile fulminations against "that crippled bastard [Roosevelt] who killed my boy Joe."

Get some perspective, folks. And a little moral decency while you're at it. There's a war on, and we and Rummy and Bush intend to win it.

Posted by lex 2004-12-24 12:44:01 AM|| 2004-12-24 12:44:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 It always boils down to "Who do you trust?"

I do NOT trust the MSM, the partisan political hacks, or any foreign entity outside the coalition. Their stake in this effort lies in failure. Where they want to go is a crazy mix of isolationism and multiculti New World Order - neither of which are good for American interests. IMHO. Their way sucks, so fug 'em.

I DO trust Bush, and by extension, Rummy, the Military Commanders, and certainly the troops. Their stake lies in success, defined as the Iraqis running a bona-fide Republic and handling the nasties as they see fit but, indeed, handling them. That is where we're headed and it makes sense to me that we should go that way. So rock on.

Everybody calling for someone's head is living down in the dirt, playing partisan games for temporary political gain. They are despicable to me, when so much is on the line.

Posted by .com 2004-12-24 3:45:24 AM|| 2004-12-24 3:45:24 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 The MSM loves dead Americans, especially dead American soldiers.

Conversely, the MSM hates live Americans, especially American soldiers.

Posted by badanov 2004-12-24 4:46:56 AM|| [http://www.rkka.org/title-boris.gif] 2004-12-24 4:46:56 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 60 years ago today, Americans fought in the Battle of the Bulge and died in the M4 Shermans with inadequate armor and weapons against some of the best German tanks fielded in WWII. Sitting stateside were newer T/M-26 'Pershing' tanks which were as good if not better than the German equipment. They sat because the bean counters calculating weight in shippage, could ship two M4s for every M26. The fate of the crews of those M4s was never a serious consideration for the admin guys back in Washington.

Posted by Whaing Wherong1888 2004-12-24 9:21:09 AM|| 2004-12-24 9:21:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 During WW1,the U.S. had thousands of BAR's(Browning Automatic Rifle)stored in warehouses.They military refused to issue them to the troops,Why,because it was such an effective weapon it was feared it would fall into German hands.This forced our troops to use some French POS.

Posted by raptor 2004-12-24 10:41:08 AM|| 2004-12-24 10:41:08 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 >The fate of the crews of those M4s was never a serious consideration for the admin guys back in Washington.<

I think George Patton had a lot to do with the decision to go with the Sherman over the Pershing. (IIRC, it was a major point in the book 'Deathtraps' by a tank repair guy.)

Posted by davemac 2004-12-24 11:03:44 AM|| 2004-12-24 11:03:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 what davemac said. rumsfeld's not very tactful but he's usually right on the money: since time immemorial, generals have gone with the army they had rather than the army they wished they'd had

Posted by lex 2004-12-24 4:08:27 PM|| 2004-12-24 4:08:27 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 I also don't recall any howls for Eisenhower's or Marshall's heads because of the numerous screwups on D-Day, or for Montgomery's head after the Operation Market Garden debacle.

War is a rough business. Mistakes are made, things almost never go as predicted, necessities are overlooked, and no matter how skilled and well-equipped we are or how cleverly and bravely we fight, the enemy will always manage to get in a few punches anyway.

Just a bit of trivia, for some perspective on just how "badly" things are going in Iraq: if things continue there the way they have been for another 31 years, we will have racked up the same number of casualties as we had IN ONE DAY, on September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Antietam.

Hang in there, y'all. As Rummy said, it's gonna be a long, hard slog.

Posted by Dave D. 2004-12-24 5:19:01 PM|| 2004-12-24 5:19:01 PM|| Front Page Top

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