Robert McNamara to Wed

Washington Post ^ | 9-8-04 | Roxanne Roberts

[det dweller too]

"Romantic" is not the first word that comes to mind when referring to Robert McNamara, but the 88-year-old former defense secretary is a dove when it comes to love. McNamara will wed his Italian-born sweetheart, Diana Masieri Byfield, next week in a ceremony in Italy

[brazzaville]

Good afternoon.

This swine should be sharing a cell with some sadistic bubba. By his own admission, McNamara had decided the war was futile early on but didn't have the moral courage to use his influence to try to stop it. He micromanaged the war and was incompetent to boot.

Michael Frazier

[laconic]

Robert McNamara is the worst civil servant this country ever had; a mendacious liar, grossly incompetent, a backstabber, a rotten opportunist, a tail-kissing coward who ensured that his own son didn't serve in his disastrously-planned war (that McNamare wrote in his filthy book that "we" are responsible for). One of the truly wretched beings that have been inflicted upon this country.

[LadyX]

"McNamara gave birth to the F-111"

My husband was in the Air Force forerunner of Special Ops, based in Tahkli, Thailand where our F-111's were based.

He headed a 13-man Strike Team, guarding the airfield, "thinning" the communists who infiltrated the surrounding villages and base perimeter, wanting to down our planes with shoulder-fired weapons; and was choppered into the Hot Spots in Vietnam - a trick they used to beef up the forces without having to say how many participated in Nam.
(Basket TDY - no written trail)

He fought in the Tet Offensive and at Da Nang, etc., and one time was dropped with his team in NORTH Vietnam to where one of the F-111's had gone down.
Was left there for 3 days to see if anyone survived, and if it had self-destructed, as programmed.

What I want to say is they so loathed McNamara that the F-111 pilots devised a cute board at the base of the steps to climb into the cockpits.

On this large board was the Edsel design, over which was printed PANIC BUTTON - to hit BEFORE they went up to fly the often-failing aircraft...and refused to remove it when the brass objected.

[Theodore R.]

worst civil servant

I don't think he was a "civil servant," or he would probably still be on the job if he were. Civil servants have civil service protection from dismissal, but Cabinet members can be discharged at will by the President, since the 1887 repeal of the Tenure of Office Act.

[Theodore R.]

Robert Strange McNamara is an excellent example of why Republicans should not come to the defense of any "Republican" who happens(ed) to wear the "R" label.

[Little Bill]

My Uncle came into the Ford semi hierarchy in the late '50s and early '60s, he thought HII was a crude and ignorant person, McNamara was a fool, and I. O. Caca was bright and nasty genius, he resigned. He is in his eighties now and the stories that he could tell. I have been trying to get him to write a book, he won't.

[Dawgreg]

and LBJ too.......*~*

[laconic]

Call him a "political appointee" then. He certainly was the worst political appointee, if not civil servant.

[ken5050]

She's getting an Edsel..

[river rat]

Would you believe, I spent a half hour cleaning up my original post -- to save my posting rights....

Then I realized - profanity was insufficient to describe the contempt I have for McNamara....

His attempt to "come clean" --- did not earn forgiveness nor will we forget...

Semper Fi

[LadyX]

"nor will we forget..."

Not so long as we (and our children) breathe and have a voice will the perfidy of the Democrats - in particular, President Johnson, McNamara and General Westmoreland - be "forgotten" - - -

~ ~ Semper Fi ~ ~

[dfwgator]

Goldwater looks more and more like one of the great men of American politics, who unfortunately never got much of a chance to seriously influence or make policy.

I was told if I voted for Goldwater, we would have riots in the streets, and a long a costly war. I did, and they were right.

[eleni121]

MacNamara - a major POS.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Glad to see that Holly Coors, Stranges' former squeeze, came to her senses.

My friend Blanquita Cullum at Radio America has corrected me that it was Holly Coors' former sister-in-law Phyllis who dated McNamara. Holly Coors was not fond of Strange McNamara.

[eleni121]

This is what monster Macnamara said aobut the "film" and the "filmmaker":

"And he has only praise for Morris, hoping to see "Fog of War" win a golden statue, "not because of me but because Errol Morris is a real genius and he deserves it.' "

Fog of War is a despicable film made by Morris, a left wing "documentary" propagandist.