BBC News: Rumsfeld Says US TO Bug Out in Iraq?

[MrBenchley]

They had a sound clip of him saying "gee, it's always been a violent place..." and noted it was the second bizarre thing he'd said in 24 hours.

Looking for a link...

[TexasSissy]

1. Rummy says some pretty offbeat things sometimes.

In a way, that's an indication he's speaking off the cuff, and speaking his true beliefs (unlike *, for whom everything is scripted; he screws up only when he goes off script or can't pronounce something).

This is not to imply that what he says is okay. Like his response to the increasing deaths in Iraq, "Well, there are bad days." He's a soldier who is used to death, apparently (and it's not his death), so......

[BurtWorm]

2. Here's how he's quoted at NY Times.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/politics/24CND-POLI.html?hp


"No country wants foreign forces in their country any longer than they have to be there," Mr. Rumsfeld said as he and Mr. Allawi appeared together at a news briefing. "Our goal is to invest the time and the money and the effort to help them train up Iraqis to take over those responsibilities" of providing security within Iraq.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who did not set out a timetable for any troop withddrawal, said, "Any implication that that place has to be peaceful and perfect before we can reduce coalition and U.S. forces, I think, would obviously be unwise, because it's never been peaceful and perfect, and it isn't likely to be."

[MrBenchley]

3. So the plan is for the president to stand firm until he bugs out....

Somehow I think that "emboldens" the "suiciders" a bit more than anything Kerry says.

[notadmblnd]

10. no, they're going to stand firm until the permanent military

bases are secure, then most will bug out. Ever wonder why there was no exit plan? Well I believe the plan is to never leave.

[DeaconBlues]

4. link

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=721&e=1&u=/nm/20040924/wl_nm/iraq_usa_rumsfeld_dc



Rumsfeld: U.S. Troops Can Leave Before Iraq Peaceful

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not have to wait until Iraq (news - web sites) "is peaceful and perfect" before it begins to withdraw military troops from that troubled country, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Friday.

Responding to questions from reporters, Rumsfeld said Washington was determined to provide security for scheduled January elections in Iraq, where nearly 140,000 American troops are now fighting a growing insurgency.

But "any implication that that place has to be peaceful and perfect before we can reduce coalition and U.S. forces, I think, would obviously be unwise," he told a press conference after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi....(more)


First, its "we must stay the course," next, "lets get the Hell out." These people can't keep their bullshit straight. And Kerry's supposed to be the flip-flopper!
:eyes:

[FloridaPat]

5. We're building 14 bases there. We're not going anywhere. The

oil still ,hasn't been sold. Think we got this far just to leave all that oil behind?

[anakie]

6. or is it just a cover for this part of the article

"But another senior defence official, who asked not to be identified, said that the number of US troops in Iraq is likely to increase slightly in late December and January as new American troops are sent there to relieve soldiers winding up a current year on duty.

"You are likely to see a spike before the troops who are being relieved leave the country," said the official"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1206886.htm


like we are going to bring home troops but not until we increase that number.

[izzie]

9. I am to old for this. I sounds like old times.

I will have to say that Nixon was voted in when he was telling us we were winning the war also. He was as bad as Johnson on that. No one in DC seemed to know what was going on when the whole country seemed to know.

[Jacobin]

7. That would be the FIRST intelligent decision he's made yet

[TheDebbieDee]

8. We may be suddenly withdrawing our troops from Iraq....................

only to insert them in Iran. I think that's Bush's plan for the next 4 years if he's re-selected.

Why else do you think the admin's going to start staffing the draft boards all over the country soon?