Today, Sentator Clinton grilled the Bush Administration as represented by Donald Rumsfeld on it’s handling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It really is “must see TV!” I have never been a fan either Bill or Hillary Clinton, that being said, I can only say “WOW” in response to the below video of her confrontation with Donald Rumsfeld during Senate hearings today!
The below quotes are attributed to Donald Rumsfeld by Think Progress
‘I Have Never Painted A Rosy Picture’ About Iraq – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
What he actually said:
Dec. 18, 2002: Lary King : What’s the current situation in Afghanistan? Donald Rumsfeld: It is encouraging. They have elected a government through the Loya Jirga process. The Taliban are gone. The al Qaeda are gone.
Feb. 7, 2003: “It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.”
Feb. 20 2003: “‘Do you expect the invasion, if it comes, to be welcomed by the majority of the civilian population of Iraq?’ Jim Lehrer asked the defense secretary on PBS’ The News Hour. ‘There is no question but that they would be welcomed,’ Rumsfeld replied, referring to American forces.”
Mar. 30, 2003: “It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.”
What the General Abizaid, the Commander of the U.S. Central Command in Iraq is saying:
I believe that the sectarian violence is probably is as bad as I’ve seen it in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war. – Commander of the U.S. Central Command, General Abizaid
Think Progress also reports that:
It will be the first time Rumsfeld has testified publicly about the war before the committee since February 2006. Here’s what’s happened in Iraq since then:
– Approximately 300 U.S. troops have died in Iraq
– Approximately 2,530 U.S. troops have been wounded
– Well over 10,000 Iraq civilians have been killed
– Insurgents have conducted an average of 620 attacks per week
– In March there were 7.8 hours of electricity per day in Baghdad (down from 16-24 hours before the war), last month there were 7.6 hours.
– In March there were 133,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Today there are 132,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and plans to raise that number to 135,000.That’s Rumsfeld’s record. Now he has to explain why it shows that we should “stay the course.”
Senator Clinton says that Donald Rumsfeld should resign:
“The secretary has lost credibility with the Congress and with the people. It’s time for him to step down and be replaced by someone who can develop an effective strategy and communicate it effectively to the American people and to the world.” – The Associated Press
What is the plan for victory in Iraq and Afghanistan? Where is the timetable to bring our troops home out of harms way? Why are our soldiers really still fighting and dying in Iraq? Is it for a new neocon version of the cold war? To enrich Haliburton and the military industrial complex? Forget the sound bites! I want, no I demand a honest and truthful answer in plain and clear english!
If Donald Rumsfeld can not provide a straight answer to my questions, then I must agree with Senator Clinton on this issue.
