Rumsfeld: Bush Orders No Campaigning for Him

[hang a left]

Mar 14, 11:34 am ET
http://news.excite.com/top/article/id/391089|top|03-14-2004::11:47|reuters.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday President Bush has ordered him and Secretary of State Colin Powell to stay out of the U.S. presidential campaign.
Appearing on the CBS "Face the Nation" program, Rumsfeld said though he and Powell may be drawn into discussions regarding U.S. foreign policy and military issues before the Nov. 2 face-off between Bush and Democrat John Kerry, "We will be doing it in a manner that is not campaign-style at all."

"There won't be a role. The president has specifically asked Colin Powell and me not to be involved in the campaign," Rumsfeld said.

"He thinks that it's best that the secretary of state and the secretary of defense tend to their responsibilities and not allow their departments to become enmeshed in the campaign."

[stepnw1f]

1. Gee... that's so responsible

[joeunderdog]

26. Sure..."Powell Challenges Kerry on World Appeal"

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) on Sunday challenged Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) to name the foreign leaders whom the Massachusetts senator claims want him as the next U.S. president.

snip


"I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Powell said. "If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

snip

He said Bush "has me right now on the lead" on many issues, including China, Haiti, Iraq (news - web sites) and Iran. Powell was leaving late Sunday on a weeklong visit to South Asia and the Middle East, and meetings with leaders in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan (news - web sites), among other countries.


"I know what the president wants, I know what his agenda is, and he knows that I am working his agenda," Powell said. "So these sorts of charges are always interesting to read and fun to gossip about, but don't have any standing in reality."


more about the guy whos been "ordered" not to campaign...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=3&u=/ap/20040314/ap_on_el_pr/powell_kerry

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

27. well, maybe he is so busy he has not time to read the memo

yet?

[Joanne98]

29. Talk to the new Spanish leaders. LOL

I'm sure they want Kerry to win. Not to mention the "people of Spain".:)

[prodigal_green]

2. The price of loyalty

eom

[Malva Zebrina]

3. No one can believe a word any one of them utters

they have lost every bit of credibility and are now considered more likely to lie than tell the truth.

[kalian]

4. Lemme guess....

because he sees you as further "liabilities" maybe? :eyes:
Friggin liars.

[rhino47]

5. Should seen rummy stutter over the whole stop gap issue

If it wasnt such a serious issue it would have been amusing watching the shit head stuttering and spin spin spinning all over himself.
Well ok yeah it was amusing I admit.

[hang a left]

6. the link wasn't working so here

snip>

But Powell, appearing on "Fox News Sunday" also as part of an administration effort to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, found himself responding to five separate questions concerning Kerry, the four-term senator from Massachusetts who has criticized Bush's conduct of the war.

Powell countered suggestions from Kerry that Bush has gone about defending America's security in the wrong way, that the administration had held up a recent agreement with Libya to give up its nuclear weapons program for political reasons, and that he had been cut out of the administration's foreign-policy making.

"I don't know what Senator Kerry's talking about," Powell said repeatedly, at one point taking offense "because it's a political charge in a political year."

Regarding Kerry's recent assertion that a number of foreign leaders had expressed the hope the decorated Vietnam veteran would defeat Bush, Powell said, "He ought to list some names. If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

snip>

[Kagemusha]

7. Statements which are themselves political and for political benefit...

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh...............

[uhhuh]

22. Colon wants Names!!

I guess they need a new axis of evil to focus on.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

28. Yeah, they found out there is lots of room in CAR for

more leaders.

[sybylla]

8. This from the experts at say one thing and do another

Pardon me if I'm a bit skeptical.

[cliss]

9. Well, let's see....if Bush HAD asked them

to do some serious campaigning for him, what would they say?

Rumsfeld: "Everyone should vote for Bush, because a vote for Bush is a vote for me. And let's face it, when it comes to death and mayhem, no one can top me".

Powell: "Get out there and vote, folks. Even though the rumours say that I'll be dumped even if Bush gets re-elected, we need the neo-cons for 4 more years. They've put programs in place that would take a lot of work to undo. Like world domination".

[whistle]

10. Just watched Wolf Blizkreig...

...and Rummy Feely. They have such a nice relationship don't they. Wolf is so compassionate as a reporter. I guess all those guest visits by Wolf to the right-wing talk shows has given him just the right temper to have a chicken-hawk like Rumsfeld on. Absolutely no hard questions and no challenges to Rummy's lying responses.:boring:

[Warren Stuart]

11. Wow, Cut off at the Knees, Emasculated, Evisserated

Toast.

Well we now know who can't be trusted to tie their own shoes.

If Bush does manage to hold onto power (I refuse to say re-elected)I guess it's a pretty safe bet to say that Rumsfeld and Powell will have a need to spend more time with their families.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

12. Powell was just on with Stephanapoulos this morning

defending bush and um, didn't both Rummy and Powell say a while back that even IF bush is re-elected they will resign and not serve as his Sec. of Defense and Sec. of State, respectively, in a second term?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. So, in other words, they are now considered to be a liability...

...to the NeoCon Junta's first election efforts.

[aquart]

19. No. Pay attention. They were on the Sunday morning talk shows.

Their role in the campaign is of impartial observers above the fray. Interpreters of Bush actions and events.

Put it this way: If a member of BushCo says he is not doing something, THAT IS EXACTLY what he's doing.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. Darn! I need to get better at interpreting NeoCon spinmeisters.

[SoCalDem]

14. "not campaign style"???

Like the "non traditional hijackings" on 9-11??

What a bunch of bastards they are..

[InkAddict]

15. More likely this means the exact opposite n/t

[Barrett808]

20. I assume the opposite of any statement these mobsters make...

...is closer to the truth.

[leesa]

16. Funny. Both are likely to let the truth slip out. If the GOP were smart,

they wouldn't let Bush campaign for his re-selection. He's the biggest fuck-up on their team of liars.

[cosmicdot]

17. will we know when the lying is just part of the job and not campaigning?

they cheer-lead every minute they have (free) air time

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. Rumpsmell On Wolf Blitzkrieger This Morning

Wolf interviewed Rumpsmell and played a tape of John Kerry's comments about the fact that Bush went into Iraq without first obtaining broad world support. Rumpy reiterated the fact that he wouldn't directly comment on the words of one of Mr. Bush's opponents. Then he nonetheless did, saying that the war in Iraq was an integral part of the war on terror, because Saddam was sponsoring terrorism. He likened the so-called coalition in Iraq with the same coalition fighting in Afghanistan that includes NATO. He is still linking Iraq and 911 in this way. Incredible!

[kayell]

21. * to Rummy and Powell

"Make sure that all your campaigning is stealth campaigning. We want to make sure that the expenses are paid by the taxpayers. Wouldn't want any of that travel money to come out of the war chest, now would we? Remember, we have a BIG bill coming from Diebold."

On second thought, this was probably from Cheney, the puppet master.

[truthisfreedom]

24. no role? what about this article headlined at drudge, with powell calling

on Kerry to produce names of foreign officials who want bush out? sounds like political grandstanding to me. Kerry made it clear that these officials don't want to be identified (and risk the "WRATH OF bushco").

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=694&u=/ap/20040314/ap_on_el_pr/powell_kerry_1&printer=1

Powell to Kerry: Back Claims With Names

Sun Mar 14,12:14 PM ET

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) on Sunday challenged Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) to name the foreign leaders whom the Massachusetts senator claims want him as the next U.S. president.

Kerry, the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee, said at a fund-raiser last week in Florida that he's heard from some world leaders who quietly back his candidacy and hope he defeats President Bush (news - web sites) in November.

Powell expressed skepticism on "Fox News Sunday" when asked about Kerry's assertion.

"I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Powell said. "If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

Powell also dismissed Kerry's recent suggestion that the secretary of state has been undercut by hawks in the Bush administration, saying again that Kerry should substantiate the claim.

<snip>

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

25. I guess that's why he and Condi made the major Sunday news

shows today.

"This isn't a campaign speech, we're just here to tell you what a wonderful guy our boss is."

[myomy]

30. The lies just flow like water.

.

[daleo]

31. "We will be doing it in a manner that is not campaign-style at all."

Parse their words carefully. All this means is that we won't see them up at a campaign stop, with bunting and flags and big brass bands. Mainly because * wants to downplay the Iraq quagmire, and these two liars just remind people of it.

[Just Me]

32. Oh, puhlease!!! This administration has been "campaigning",...

,...since day one with their propaganda and photo ops and rhetoric.

[boobooday]

33. Rumsfeld has OTHER things to attend to . . .

http://www.wgoeshome.com