Outrageous Rumsfeld Speech

Today Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld said that any of us who oppose the policies of the Bush Administration in Iraq or dealing with terrorism in general suffer from 'moral and intellectual confusion.'

He also said that people who disagree with him and the President lack courage, and are willing to appease terrorists as there were those willing to appease Hitler in the time preceding WWII.
“But some seem not to have learned history’s lessons,” he said.

I find this speech to be outrageous.

First of all, the man who has led American troops into a war of choice based on bad and/or cooked data is ill-equipped to speak to us about moral direction.

Secondly, this administration has helped to create intellectual confusion- not among opponents but to create supporters- with it's misinformation (such as that pointed out by Sen. McCain recently) and secrecy.

Finally, it should be pointed out that those of us who oppose this administration's policies do so not because we wish to aid or appease the terrorists, but because we believe that it as a result of the Rumsfeld/Cheney/Bush policies we are less safe in a world where terrorism is a real threat. Policies which 'make enemies faster than we can kill them' do us no good.

The lessons of history are there, that is true. Those lessons teach us that when a government misleads its people into a war of choice that is not in the nation's direct national interest, then that government will ultimately lose the faith of its people.

It is especially ironic that Rumsfeld tries to direct our attention to history. When our current affairs are written into the history books, Rumsfeld may feel differently. Our current Secretary of Defense will likely not find himself mentioned along side those who led America against Hitler in the 40's, but with Robert McNamara, who led America to defeat in Vietnam in the 70's.

GP