The Donald Rumsfeld I know isn't the one you know

St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | Nov. 12, 2006 | Douglas J. Feith

[Cheburashka]

And of course, Bremer, by disbanding all units and officials did not help matters.
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Mostly I agree with you, but not about this.

The Iraqi Army was so politicized that keeping it would have left the Baathists in control of the Army, and they would have been undermining the new democratic government. There would have been no loyalty to it, the Army would be just waiting for the Americans to leave.

Think of the Reichswehr in Germany between the World Wars. Zero loyalty to the Wiemar Republic. Think of the average South American army in the 19th and early-mid 20th centuries. "We are the real country and the politicians are to be put in power and overthrown at our whim."

The results were better in West Germany and Japan after the war. Complete disbandment and a whole new Bundeswehr/Self-Defence Force, which knew it's place in the nation.

Lenin would have been a blip in Russian history if he hadn't abolished the old Imperial Army and started fresh with the Worker's-Peasant's Red Army.

[Gondring]

Don Rumsfeld goes the bum's rush because he sought to transform the U.S military into a post-Cold War institution. Actually a small force did a magnificient in Iraq. We accomplished in three weeks of the war with a force less than a third the size we deployed in Desert Storm.

Bingo. But then, we entered another phase. Just like swift panzer spearheads were not appropriate for occupation of urban areas, a small force is unable to conduct effective counterinsurgency against a skilled opponent who can pop up where you aren't. Successes in counterinsurgency have illustrated the need for holding ground, not just striking here and there and playing defense for convoys.

[nuconvert]

"He will be missed, but I've a sneaking suspection that we've not heard the last of Rummy."

Let's hope his input from the sidelines is weighted heavily

btw - G. Will is an ass

[Jo Nuvark]

From Rummy to Dummy. I like.

[ImpBill]

It depends on who writes the history. Remember who is in charge of "education" in this country. Remember which writers are "Politically Correct" enough to have their text books read in class rooms all over the nation.

"America ... Where are you now?"

[traviskicks]

'The Best of Donald Rumsfeld'
http://www.neoperspectives.com/rumsfeld.htm

This Feith piece will be added to the above.

[Prost1]

The de-baathification and de-nazification are not comparable.

Iraq is a hodgepodge of cultures and peoples, some with long standing (millenium) hatred one against the other.
The shia in charge of the police in the north is as bad as the sunni in charge in the south.

It would have been better to constitute a Shia security force for their area and Sunni for their area. Since Baghdad in mixed, it would have been best to use the Euphrates as a DMZ and move entire communities from one side to the other and eliminate the slums while they were at it.

IOW and imo, there were better options than what Bremer chose. We shall soon see if Saddam and his henchman are executed, who from the Sunni tribes comes forward as the leader. I am thinking it might be a red-headed guy.

[ArtyFO]

Editor's note: Mr. Feith is currently polishing his resume and is expected to leave before Mr. Rumsfeld leaves.

[dfwgator]

History will remember him well, long after we've forgotten his poll driven critics. He seems to be a lot like Churchill in that he did what needed to be done and then was discarded when the politics of the moment changed.

Well put. I can't imagine what WWII would have been like in today's media climate. There were so many SNAFUs and bad decisions in WWII, but people never heard about them. All people know today is that we ended up winning.

[ArtyFO]

There are other views of what Rumsfeld accomplished. He destroyed the Army. He transformed the Army to a concoction of boutique brigades without adequate artillery support, suited to fight small actions only and little prepared to face the huge Chinese Army and another North Korean Army. We are left with only a nuclear option to fight wars on the horizon.

[Chena]

Excellent article, rhema. BTTT!

[jess35]

There are always "other" views. Generally, they're formed by a specific agenda that isn't being fulfilled.

[Tamzee]

Very well written. Nice summary. And this is the view I always had of Rummy.

Ditto bump. A great read. I certainly hope this isn't the last we see of him... America needs Rummy and more just like him.

[SuzyQue]

We're going to deeply miss this guy.

[Guenevere]

bttt

[jan in Colorado]

Rummy's only crime was to be the smartest guy in the room.

Exactly. The DemocRats are so threatened by the competence of the Bush appointees, that their mission is to destroy them any way they can.

Sadly, I'm afraid Mr. Bolton is next on the hit list.

God Bless Donald Rumsfeld. He deserved better, and I am thankful he served this Country and it served it well!

[george76]

With the DUmmies running things, Rumsfeld likely knew that he would dragged thru non stop hearings.

Rumsfeld could handle the hearings, but he wanted the DOD to focus on the wot instead.

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Yup :

"their mission is to destroy them any way they can.

Sadly, I'm afraid Mr. Bolton is next on the hit list."

[jan in Colorado]

Rumsfeld could handle the hearings, but he wanted the DOD to focus on the wot instead.

Rumsfeld is such a good and decent man. No wonder the democRats hate him so much.

Isn't it amazing the hatred they show towards Bush, Rumsfeld,(fill in the blank), yet I have not seen ANY of this anger or outrage at the terrorists!?!

[george76]

The DUmmies want the terrorists to win.

Really !

[Gondring]

How do you know that he failed to recognize a change in conditions that required a change of response. Is it just guess work on your part. How do you know he failed to get beyond it.

It's true that he might have recognized it and just been incompetent in making the appropriate adjustments, but that would be out of character--and contradicted by this article. Likewise, perhaps he identified the necessary changes and was ordered by the President not to implement thenm. I also doubt that. So it's based on more than "guesswork"...it's from analysis.