Reply #4: But according to Rumsfeld. . . .

[wndycty]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1430115

Clarence Page: Rumsfeld's candor can be too revealing
American soldiers are not "fungible" to their loved ones
Published April 18, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Every so often a high-profile Washington figure gets himself or herself in trouble by inadvertently revealing what he or she really thinks. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld knows. In a town where candor can be a crime, he's a repeat offender.

His latest score came during a Pentagon news conference Thursday when he revealed a new Rummy-ism: "People are fungible."

My dictionary says "fungible," which is pronounced with a soft "G" as in "sponge," refers to something that can be satisfactorily replaced, either in part or in whole, with some other part or quantity of similar value. "Oil is fungible," experts say, in arguing why no country or cartel can quite corner the market on it. If the price is too high in one place, you can buy it someplace else and the price in the first place will come down in order to compete.

Now, Rumsfeld wants you to know, our troops are fungible, too. His bold pronouncement came during an exchange with a reporter in a news conference during which Rumsfeld announced that about 20,000 American troops are about to have their tours in Iraq extended for at least three months.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0404180403apr18,1,70...

Wes Clark's life is simply an American story, but he will make an extraordinary American President.