Quotes of the Morning: Rummy's Rules
“I remember going down to the basement of the White House the day we committed our troops as last resort, looking at Tommy Franks and the generals on the ground, asking them, ‘Do we have the right plan with the right troop level?’
And they looked me in the eye and said, ‘Yes, sir, Mr. President.’ Of course, I listen to our generals. That's what a president does. A president sets the strategy and relies upon good military people to execute that strategy.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, Second Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate, October 8, 2004
“Maybe it is time to start listening to the generals..”
-Skippy
“I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him. … Specifically, I feel he has micromanaged the generals who are leading our forces there,”
-Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack (retired), former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, April 13, 2006
“Another retired officer, Army Maj. Gen. John Riggs, said he believes that his peer group is ‘a pretty closemouthed bunch’, but that, even so, his sense is ‘everyone pretty much thinks Rumsfeld and the bunch around him should be cleared out.’"
-Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“So what is to be done? We need fresh ideas and fresh faces. That means, as a first step, replacing Rumsfeld and many others unwilling to fundamentally change their approach. The troops in the Middle East have performed their duty. Now we need people in Washington who can construct a unified strategy worthy of them. It is time to send a signal to our nation, our forces and the world that we are uncompromising on our security but are prepared to rethink how we achieve it. It is time for senior military leaders to discard caution in expressing their views and ensure that the President hears them clearly.”
-Lt. General Gregory Newbold (retired), Time Magazine, April 9, 2006
“The retired commander of key forces in Iraq called yesterday for Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down, joining several other former top military commanders who have harshly criticized the defense secretary's authoritarian style for making the military's job more difficult.
‘I think we need a fresh start’ at the top of the Pentagon, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004-2005, said in an interview. ‘We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork.’
Batiste noted that many of his peers feel the same way. ‘It speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense,’ he said earlier yesterday on CNN.”
-Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“During World War II, American soldiers on route to Britain before D-Day were given a pamphlet on how to behave while awaiting the invasion. The most important quote was: ‘It is impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.’
By that rule, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not competent to lead America’s armed forces.”
-General Paul D. Eaton (retired), New York Times, March 20, 2006
“ZINNI: There’s a series of disastrous mistakes. We just heard the Secretary of State say these were tactical mistakes. These were not tactical mistakes. These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policies made back here. Don’t blame the troops. They’ve been magnificent. If anything saves us, it will be them.
RUSSERT: Should someone resign?
ZINNI: Absolutely.
RUSSERT: Who?
ZINNI: Secretary of Defense to begin with.”
-General Anthony Zinni (retired), former commander of U.S. Middle Eastern Forces, Meet the Press, April 2, 2006
“The White House, of course, takes these six generals’ comments with typical amounts of serious reflection..”
-Skippy
“The President believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period in our nation’s history.”
-White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, April 13, 2006
“Maybe Mr. Rumsfeld should just listen to his own advice..”
-Skippy
“Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.”
-Rumsfeld’s Rules
And they looked me in the eye and said, ‘Yes, sir, Mr. President.’ Of course, I listen to our generals. That's what a president does. A president sets the strategy and relies upon good military people to execute that strategy.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, Second Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate, October 8, 2004
“Maybe it is time to start listening to the generals..”
-Skippy
“I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him. … Specifically, I feel he has micromanaged the generals who are leading our forces there,”
-Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack (retired), former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, April 13, 2006
“Another retired officer, Army Maj. Gen. John Riggs, said he believes that his peer group is ‘a pretty closemouthed bunch’, but that, even so, his sense is ‘everyone pretty much thinks Rumsfeld and the bunch around him should be cleared out.’"
-Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“So what is to be done? We need fresh ideas and fresh faces. That means, as a first step, replacing Rumsfeld and many others unwilling to fundamentally change their approach. The troops in the Middle East have performed their duty. Now we need people in Washington who can construct a unified strategy worthy of them. It is time to send a signal to our nation, our forces and the world that we are uncompromising on our security but are prepared to rethink how we achieve it. It is time for senior military leaders to discard caution in expressing their views and ensure that the President hears them clearly.”
-Lt. General Gregory Newbold (retired), Time Magazine, April 9, 2006
“The retired commander of key forces in Iraq called yesterday for Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down, joining several other former top military commanders who have harshly criticized the defense secretary's authoritarian style for making the military's job more difficult.
‘I think we need a fresh start’ at the top of the Pentagon, retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004-2005, said in an interview. ‘We need leadership up there that respects the military as they expect the military to respect them. And that leadership needs to understand teamwork.’
Batiste noted that many of his peers feel the same way. ‘It speaks volumes that guys like me are speaking out from retirement about the leadership climate in the Department of Defense,’ he said earlier yesterday on CNN.”
-Washington Post, April 13, 2006
“During World War II, American soldiers on route to Britain before D-Day were given a pamphlet on how to behave while awaiting the invasion. The most important quote was: ‘It is impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.’
By that rule, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not competent to lead America’s armed forces.”
-General Paul D. Eaton (retired), New York Times, March 20, 2006
“ZINNI: There’s a series of disastrous mistakes. We just heard the Secretary of State say these were tactical mistakes. These were not tactical mistakes. These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policies made back here. Don’t blame the troops. They’ve been magnificent. If anything saves us, it will be them.
RUSSERT: Should someone resign?
ZINNI: Absolutely.
RUSSERT: Who?
ZINNI: Secretary of Defense to begin with.”
-General Anthony Zinni (retired), former commander of U.S. Middle Eastern Forces, Meet the Press, April 2, 2006
“The White House, of course, takes these six generals’ comments with typical amounts of serious reflection..”
-Skippy
“The President believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period in our nation’s history.”
-White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, April 13, 2006
“Maybe Mr. Rumsfeld should just listen to his own advice..”
-Skippy
“Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.”
-Rumsfeld’s Rules
posted by Pope Impious XXIII | 4:09 AM
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