Re: Donald Rumsfeld an "asshole"?

Assshole yes the rest I'm not sure of yet
"zz" wrote in message
news:526a484f3bf79aaf63ac25b6ab717174@rebleep...
> http://www.salon.com/news/feature/20.../index_np.html
>
>
> The war according to David Hackworth
> The retired colonel calls Donald Rumsfeld an "asshole" whose bad
> planning mired U.S. troops in an ugly guerrilla conflict in Iraq. His
> sources? Defiant soldiers sending dispatches from the front.
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - -
> By Jonathan Franklin
>
> Aug. 4, 2003 | Retired U.S. Army Col. David Hackworth is a cocky
> American military commander who for half a century was at the front
> lines of the Army's most important battles. Most recently, though,
> Hackworth has been at the frontlines of a domestic war: the debate over
> U.S. military strategy in Iraq, and whether the Bush administration
> planned well enough to achieve a decisive military victory, and to keep
> the postwar peace.
>
> Hackworth was everywhere on cable television during the first days of
> the war, when early military setbacks convinced him and other retired
> military leaders that the administration, whose backers sold the
> conflict as a "cakewalk," hadn't sent enough troops to quell Iraqi
> resistance. He wrote a widely quoted column headlined "Stuck in the
> quicksand" in early April -- just as the tide seemed to turn and the
> pace of victory picked up again. Though he is a colonel by rank,
> Hackworth was counted among the so-called "television generals" the
> administration blasted after Baghdad fell, and many conservative
> admirers turned against him.
>
> But now, with American soldiers still dying almost daily in Iraq, the
> tide of opinion may be turning again, in favor of Hackworth's argument
> that the administration was unprepared for what's turning out to be a
> long-term guerrilla resistance in Iraq. Today the primary front of
> Hackworth's war of opinion isn't cable television, but a pair of Web
> sites -- Soldiers for the Truth and his own site, Hackworth.com -- where
> he's campaigning to document the dire fate of U.S. troops in Iraq. The
> sites have quickly become a repository for the gripes and fears of
> America's beleaguered combat troops.
> - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lest anyone think Hackworth is anti-administration, rest easy. He was an
equal-opportunity critic during the Clinton administration, and Bush only had to
wait his turn before Hackworth unloaded on him. AAMOF, I'm not so sure he was
very kind to those running the Gulf War during Bush the elder's term of office.
I used to think that he marched to tune of his own drummer and that was the
reason he never got a star, fruit salad on chest notwithstanding. That might be
so, but maybe he was smarter than all of the high priced help after all.

George Z.

"Tom" wrote in message
news:Ub7Ya.87180$3o3.6024467@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Assshole yes the rest I'm not sure of yet
> "zz" wrote in message
> news:526a484f3bf79aaf63ac25b6ab717174@rebleep...
> > http://www.salon.com/news/feature/20.../index_np.html
> >
> >
> > The war according to David Hackworth
> > The retired colonel calls Donald Rumsfeld an "asshole" whose bad
> > planning mired U.S. troops in an ugly guerrilla conflict in Iraq. His
> > sources? Defiant soldiers sending dispatches from the front.
> >
> > - - - - - - - - - - - -
> > By Jonathan Franklin
> >
> > Aug. 4, 2003 | Retired U.S. Army Col. David Hackworth is a cocky
> > American military commander who for half a century was at the front
> > lines of the Army's most important battles. Most recently, though,
> > Hackworth has been at the frontlines of a domestic war: the debate over
> > U.S. military strategy in Iraq, and whether the Bush administration
> > planned well enough to achieve a decisive military victory, and to keep
> > the postwar peace.
> >
> > Hackworth was everywhere on cable television during the first days of
> > the war, when early military setbacks convinced him and other retired
> > military leaders that the administration, whose backers sold the
> > conflict as a "cakewalk," hadn't sent enough troops to quell Iraqi
> > resistance. He wrote a widely quoted column headlined "Stuck in the
> > quicksand" in early April -- just as the tide seemed to turn and the
> > pace of victory picked up again. Though he is a colonel by rank,
> > Hackworth was counted among the so-called "television generals" the
> > administration blasted after Baghdad fell, and many conservative
> > admirers turned against him.
> >
> > But now, with American soldiers still dying almost daily in Iraq, the
> > tide of opinion may be turning again, in favor of Hackworth's argument
> > that the administration was unprepared for what's turning out to be a
> > long-term guerrilla resistance in Iraq. Today the primary front of
> > Hackworth's war of opinion isn't cable television, but a pair of Web
> > sites -- Soldiers for the Truth and his own site, Hackworth.com -- where
> > he's campaigning to document the dire fate of U.S. troops in Iraq. The
> > sites have quickly become a repository for the gripes and fears of
> > America's beleaguered combat troops.
> > - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>

"Gooneybird" wrote in message news:...
> Lest anyone think Hackworth is anti-administration, rest easy. He was an
> equal-opportunity critic during the Clinton administration, and Bush only had to
> wait his turn before Hackworth unloaded on him. AAMOF, I'm not so sure he was
> very kind to those running the Gulf War during Bush the elder's term of office.
> I used to think that he marched to tune of his own drummer and that was the
> reason he never got a star, fruit salad on chest notwithstanding. That might be
> so, but maybe he was smarter than all of the high priced help after all.
>
> George Z.
>
> "Tom" wrote in message
> news:Ub7Ya.87180$3o3.6024467@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> > Assshole yes the rest I'm not sure of yet
> > "zz" wrote in message
> > news:526a484f3bf79aaf63ac25b6ab717174@rebleep...
> > > http://www.salon.com/news/feature/20.../index_np.html
> > >
> > >
> > > The war according to David Hackworth
> > > The retired colonel calls Donald Rumsfeld an "asshole" whose bad
> > > planning mired U.S. troops in an ugly guerrilla conflict in Iraq. His
> > > sources? Defiant soldiers sending dispatches from the front.
> > >
> > > - - - - - - - - - - - -
> > > By Jonathan Franklin
> > >
> > > Aug. 4, 2003 | Retired U.S. Army Col. David Hackworth is a cocky
> > > American military commander who for half a century was at the front
> > > lines of the Army's most important battles. Most recently, though,
> > > Hackworth has been at the frontlines of a domestic war: the debate over
> > > U.S. military strategy in Iraq, and whether the Bush administration
> > > planned well enough to achieve a decisive military victory, and to keep
> > > the postwar peace.
> > >
> > > Hackworth was everywhere on cable television during the first days of
> > > the war, when early military setbacks convinced him and other retired
> > > military leaders that the administration, whose backers sold the
> > > conflict as a "cakewalk," hadn't sent enough troops to quell Iraqi
> > > resistance. He wrote a widely quoted column headlined "Stuck in the
> > > quicksand" in early April -- just as the tide seemed to turn and the
> > > pace of victory picked up again. Though he is a colonel by rank,
> > > Hackworth was counted among the so-called "television generals" the
> > > administration blasted after Baghdad fell, and many conservative
> > > admirers turned against him.
> > >
> > > But now, with American soldiers still dying almost daily in Iraq, the
> > > tide of opinion may be turning again, in favor of Hackworth's argument
> > > that the administration was unprepared for what's turning out to be a
> > > long-term guerrilla resistance in Iraq. Today the primary front of
> > > Hackworth's war of opinion isn't cable television, but a pair of Web
> > > sites -- Soldiers for the Truth and his own site, Hackworth.com -- where
> > > he's campaigning to document the dire fate of U.S. troops in Iraq. The
> > > sites have quickly become a repository for the gripes and fears of
> > > America's beleaguered combat troops.
> > > - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >

Secretary of Defense isn't there to make friends, or make people feel
good about things. He is there to lead this countrys military. I would
be worried if our SecDef was regarded as a nice guy after 9-11.