Ex-US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld dead at 88
Discussion
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-5767411...
Not to detract from the work that he did, but when I think Donald Rumsfeld, I think.

Not to detract from the work that he did, but when I think Donald Rumsfeld, I think.

ReallyReallyGood said:
He will live in immortality for giving us known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
Which was an incredibly insightful statement that sailed right over the heads of the Democrats and the media at the time. I blew my wind that people were mocking him as if he had said something stupid.mko9 said:
ReallyReallyGood said:
He will live in immortality for giving us known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
Which was an incredibly insightful statement that sailed right over the heads of the Democrats and the media at the time. I blew my wind that people were mocking him as if he had said something stupid.Perhaps why most politicians talk in clichés and slogans. If they actually say anything insightful then that is the reaction.
KAgantua said:
Rot in hell
I second that sentiment. He was responsible for helping the Iraqis carry out chemical weapons attacks against the Iranians and Kurds, then was influential in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis from 2003 onwards. You can add Cheney, Bush, Wolfowitz and Blair to that list.glazbagun said:
And of course for sending thousands of Americans to die for a bulls
t war.
Leftie garbage.
t war.That decision was taken by the commander in chief.
Politicians have sent young men to bulls
t wars for centuries, what was so evil about Donald compared to Chamberlain, Roosevelt or Wilson ?
coppernorks said:
glazbagun said:
And of course for sending thousands of Americans to die for a bulls
t war.
Leftie garbage.
t war.That decision was taken by the commander in chief.
Politicians have sent young men to bulls
t wars for centuries, what was so evil about Donald compared to Chamberlain, Roosevelt or Wilson ?
t war" was he involved in?He was intrinsically involved in all the really terrible choices made concerning Iraq; not having a plan, appointing that asshat Bremer, expecting the civpop to welcome them as liberating victors like the French in 1944, sacking the entire army, sacking all senior civil servants. He made some s
t decisions about the actual invasion bit, but that was a mere warm-up for the horlicks he helped to create in the aftermath. Terrible SecDef.
t decisions about the actual invasion bit, but that was a mere warm-up for the horlicks he helped to create in the aftermath. Terrible SecDef.Edited by hidetheelephants on Thursday 1st July 14:39
coppernorks said:
glazbagun said:
And of course for sending thousands of Americans to die for a bulls
t war.
Leftie garbage.
t war.That decision was taken by the commander in chief.
Politicians have sent young men to bulls
t wars for centuries, what was so evil about Donald compared to Chamberlain, Roosevelt or Wilson ?
JagLover said:
mko9 said:
ReallyReallyGood said:
He will live in immortality for giving us known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
Which was an incredibly insightful statement that sailed right over the heads of the Democrats and the media at the time. I blew my wind that people were mocking him as if he had said something stupid.Perhaps why most politicians talk in clichés and slogans. If they actually say anything insightful then that is the reaction.
Rumsfeld on Osama Bin Laden:
"He's therefore either alive and well, or alive and not too well, or not alive."
However screwed up the plan was for Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld didn't force al-Qaeda, ISIS, Shia militant groups, Iranian proxy forces, etc to slaughter hundreds of thousands of their fellow country-persons. The majority of the death and depravity was perpetrated by the people who already lived there, against their own people.
mko9 said:
However screwed up the plan was for Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld didn't force al-Qaeda, ISIS, Shia militant groups, Iranian proxy forces, etc to slaughter hundreds of thousands of their fellow country-persons. The majority of the death and depravity was perpetrated by the people who already lived there, against their own people.
You're conflating17 different issues. I don't think anybody has suggested that Rumsy was responsible for ISIS, Shia militant groups, Iranian proxy forces (although it could be argued that invading Afghanistan and Iraq created the instability which resulted in numerous armed groups being created). However, having said that, one of the reasons that Saddam was tolerated, armed and funded by the West and by the Sunni countries in the Middle East was because he was a useful buffer against Shia Iran. Toppling him made Iran much stronger than it was previously. Iraq is now effectively a Shia-led country and it's created a Shia crescent from Iran all the way to Lebanon. It's the law of unintended consequences, and one of many resulting from US interference.
andyA700 said:
I second that sentiment. He was responsible for helping the Iraqis carry out chemical weapons attacks against the Iranians and Kurds, then was influential in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis from 2003 onwards. You can add Cheney, Bush, Wolfowitz and Blair to that list.
Don't forget Coa-lin Powell and that bint whose name sounds like a pot noodle.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff


