Ransom Notes; Rumsfeld Out of Touch, Out of Answers -- He Should Be Out

Summary

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It is more tragic because the strategy--such that it is--has failed to keep up with the reality of what is happening on the ground in Iraq. Time and time again, [Donald Rumsfeld]'s war has proven to be much more complex, much more deadly, than he thought. When President George Bush crowed from the deck of an aircraft carrier that the mission had been accomplished, he did so largely because of Rumsfeld's limited vision. More than 1,000 deaths later, we're still wondering just what the mission was.

That is only partly Rumsfeld's fault. His job was to wage war, not consider the foreign policy consequences. But that is exactly the problem. Rumsfeld has not waged war well. He sent troops to war in insufficient numbers to deal with a committed and resourceful insurgency. He sent them without the proper equipment to conduct the war in a way that would produce "victory," whatever that is. And he sent them to war without having a clue how to get them out.

Senator Trent Lott has said Rumsfeld should leave "in the next year or so." Lott said of Rumsfeld, "I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers."

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Ransom Notes; Rumsfeld Out of Touch, Out of Answers -- He Should Be Out

In a White House known for its arrogance, inflexibility and stubbornness, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the poster child.

There is no question that he is out of touch with most of ...

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