Today Rumsfeld and his generals appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Definitely "Theater of the Absurd." Rumsfeld didn't like the answers. Mind if I share two observations, including the need for Bush to finish the last two years of his national guard obligation?
The Administration's new frame for our occupation of Iraq surfaced during General Abizaid's appearance in front of the Senate Armed Serviced Committee today. While flanked by Secretary Rumsfeld and General Pace, Abizaid responded to questioning from Senator Mark Dayton [D-Minn] stating, "We did not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
We are fighting to prevent the insurgents from developing weapons of mass destruction."
In response to a question from Lindsey Graham [R-SC] General Pace admitted that the Iraqis want us off their soil. Of course Rumsfeld couldn't let that stand. Rumsfeld took the mike after General Pace's answer. "Talk to the Kurds. They don't mind us being there. Ask the Shia leader of Iraq. He doesn't want us to leave. He wants us to stay." What does that have to do with whether the Iraqis want us off their soil? The Iraq leader is a puppet of the Administration. He is there by the grace of Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld.
In a preeminent example of Rumsfeldian duplicity, the Secretary responded to Senator Clinton's questioning by asserting that he [Rumsfeld] never presented a rosy picture of the war. He is obviously inflicted with Alzheimer's Disease. I vividly remember watching him in the department of defense press room gleefully briefing the world with reports of America's progress in Iraq. Strange he hasn't held such a press conference in several years. I propose a new measure of progress in Iraq: "Rumsfeld press conference frequency index."
A final thought. With George Bush's recent physical examination, and his doctor's compliments on his physical conditioning, isn't it time for Bush to report for completion of the last two years of his national guard obligation? I think it's time for him to "bring it on."