According to today's Washington Post Defense Secretary Rumsfeld reversed his own longstanding position that everything in Iraq was hunky dory. Long in denial that he screwed up an entire country with his incompetence, arrogance, stupidity and obsession with amassing personal power and playing the Washington turf wars, he wrote a memo right before "resigning" stating we need "a major adjustment" in Iraq. Duh? Isn't this what every other rational mind in the civilized world had been saying forever?
There have only been a few idiots left who thought everything was fine and there was no need to change course. Unfortunately they were all in either the White House or Pentagon. I wonder what finally changed Donald's mind? Did he finally go to Dover and see all the coffins? Did he visit Baghdad and see the carnage there? Was it the Thanksgiving Day massacres? My bet it was the voter backlash against his policies that was coming down on election day. He knew what was coming and it finally penetrated that thick skull surrounding his defective brain.
Remember this is the man who put morons like Paul Wolfowicz and Doug Feith in crucial positions at DoD. He intimidated the Joint Chiefs and appointed ineffective, ineffectual leaders there. He insisted on micromanaging the war plan even though he had no military experience. He alienated all the experienced, professional military management, people who had dedicated their lives to planning and preparation.
It was Donald Rumsfeld who failed to insure there were adequate plans for Phase IV: the occupation. He was the one more concerned with bureaucratic infighting with State and kicked valuable members off Jay Garner's civil affairs team. It was Rumsfeld who insisted that team be filled with Republican Party hacks.
This entire disaster falls at the feet of three people: Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. They were the architects and decision makers. Bush appointed Rummy and stood by him even when the whole country knew he had failed. Bush is responsible for the failures of the people he put into place, especially Rumsfeld, of whom he refused to fire after failing miserably.
The fact the SecDef is now leaving and now acknowledged a change of course is necessary doesn't absolve him of his guilt. The man is responsible for heinous war crimes. We now know for certain he signed off on the abuses, inhumane treatment and torture at Abu Ghraib. He has to pay the piper and now that Democrats have the power of the subpoena in Congress he will be forced to testify truthfully and completely about his decisions and conduct. Pull up a chair folks this is going to be a good show.
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