Posted on 07/01/2021 7:59:21 AM PDT by Kaslin
Edited on 07/01/2021 10:43:58 AM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Rumsfeld was a true American patriot but also the archetype of disaster in the republic in the modern era, an outstanding tactician and an overmatched strategist.
It is one of the irritating defects of genius that, particularly when surrounded by crushing mediocrity, the audacity of having ideas becomes a source of recurring controversy. To have the most ideas means you have the most good ideas, but also the most bad ideas. I have had the great fortune to know and meet more than a handful of figures in my life who truly qualify as men of genius, and one of them was certainly Donald Rumsfeld, who passed away yesterday at the ripe age of 88.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...
Ben Domenech is married to Meghan McCain.
Well, that is unfortunate.
LOL
Sounds like the McCain wing slapping the back of the Bush wing for endless, illegal war
I liked Rumsfeld, but the bottom line is, he still served the Deep State.
He served America
To diminish him is scandelous
Bush ended up firing him. + Rove.
I think Rumsfeld could not fight back enough against the Deep State. He did what he could and walked away knowing the Deep State would prevent victory by using insane rules of engagement and coddling Iran’s supply of IEDs that maimed and killed tens of thousands of our troops.
I may have to reconsider then, he had been pretty quiet over the years.
Great write up.
Thank you.
I remember well when they brought in General Shoomaker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Schoomaker
That must have caused an upset... bringing in a general already retired to be the Chief of Staff of the Army.
Rumsfeld was right on a lot of things, missile defense, the need to reform NATO, the need to rebuild our armed forces to deal with the threat at hand (not some Cold War threat).
Known Knowns, Known Unknowns, and Unknown Unknowns! I like it...it grows on you!
this is a good, and balanced piece
A nation with balls would have attacked Iran the first time an Iranian supplied IED was used against US troops.
Instead, we allowed Iran to supply and train those who deployed the IEDs that were the #1 cause of death and permanent injury for our troops.
1980. Let’s say Reagan picks Rumsfield rather than Bush-VP-Milton Friedman’s lament. 1988 comes along. Would Saddam invade Kuwait? Would Loral have given away our missile technology? Would Monica be there to go down on him?
Something tells me Jack Kemp would have been his best VP and Kemp like Rummy would not have had to take this country down that road because the many of thosesituations would not have come up.
Ben “The Voice” Domenich is a clear Conservative thinker and I’ve never heard him say anything I disagree with. Rumsfield? When I think of him, I see the image of that old guy caring for the wounded, carrying a stretcher, at the Pentagon on 911. That’s all I need to know about him.
good thoughts
I loved Kemp
I’ll never understand why Saddam invaded Kuwait. We had (I think...) a legit national security interest in pushing him back.
Everything after, not so much.
All that said, I think Reagan’s judgment has to be respected. It’s not like he had a free option here and that he was going to win. He did have to unite the party as it were....and the Bush/Baker people were very much in charge of the Deep State.
I don’t know.
We all share Friedman’s lament. But I don’t know how realistic it would have been.......
Sort of like the ongoing lament that Trump picked all the wrong people.
Problem is, you can’t staff an entire administration with patriots when as best I can tell there was only Trump, Grennell (an unlikely hero), Pompeo and maybe Mnuchin.
Alas
“I’ll never understand why Saddam invaded Kuwait. We had (I think...) a legit national security interest in pushing him back.”
He invaded because our ambassador April Glaspie told him it was not our problem.
“We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.”
April Glaspie
Kuwait was drinking Saddam's milkshake.
Rumsfeld was no genius. He was a warmonger and partially responsible for the intelligence state as it exists today…
I forgot about that....
That’s preposterous - and costly
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