Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld talked about the nature of terrorism as part of Radio Day at the Pentagon today, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Sept. 11, 2001, was the greatest loss of American life from a single attack in U.S. history, he said. The death toll that day was nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. But the purpose of terrorism isn’t to kill, but to terrorize, Rumsfeld told Charlie Brennan of St. Louis’ KMOX. Fear causes people to alter their behavior, the secretary said. “As free...

We are again engaged in conflicts that are testing whether we believe that the defence of liberty is worth the cost. And again, there are those who disagree with the mission, who question whether it is worth the sacrifice. This is to be expected in a time of war. The enemy we face today is different from the enemies we have faced in the past, but its goal is similar: to impose its fanatical ideology of hatred on the rest of the world. In speaking to our veterans, I suggested several questions to guide us during this struggle against violent...

Democrat Bob Beckel threatened Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with violence today in a discussion on the Fox News Channel about Rumsfeld's speech last week relating the war on terror to World War 2.Beckel said if Rumsfeld weren't Secretary of Defense and had federal protection, he'd "kick the dog out of him."Beckel joined a growing number of Democrats who have reacted viscerally to Rumsfeld's remarks, even though Rumsfeld did not single out the Democratic party nor did he name any current Democrats as appeasers.