Senate Committee Members: Grow Up
Whenever I hear about YET another Senate committee meeting, that involves Donald Rumsfeld, I get nauseated. Because he gets abused. While I understand he takes all the heat due to his position, there is no need for certain members of certain committees to use these occasions to belittle the Secretary Of Defense.
Rummy is a star in his own right; his press briefings are popular and many in the media do like him.
Let’s take a look at the latest edition of what it becoming known as RUMMY ABUSE, reports and excerpts from today’s hearing:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today rejected calls to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, saying that would be a “mistake” because it would send a “lifeline to terrorists.”
Testifying before a tense Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Rumsfeld also rejected a senator’s claim that the Iraq war had become a quagmire, saying that was “fundamentally inconsistent with the facts.”
Exactly who is giving Rummy such a hard time anyway?
“Any who say we are losing this war are wrong,” Rumsfeld told congressional Democrats demanding answers about the future of U.S. troops in Iraq. “We are not.”
Specifically:
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld: “There have been a series of gross errors and mistakes. Those were on your watch. … Isn’t it time for you to resign?”
Rumsfeld: “Senator, I’ve offered my resignation to the president twice, and he’s decided that he would prefer that he not accept it, and that’s his call.”
Of course all eyes and ears were focused on Kennedy. Taking advantage of another moment in which he can play these games in the public view. Mr. Kennedy, why don’t you resign? You deserve to go fishing off Cape Cod now…and I’m sure the government will pay for all your booze along with all the fish stocking they do down there.
This was the best one though:
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.: “Mr. Secretary, I’ve watched you with a considerable amount of amusement. … I’ve been here a long time, longer than you have. … I’ve seen a lot of secretaries of defense. … I don’t think I’ve ever heard a secretary of defense who likes to lecture the committee as much as you. …
“You may not like our questions but we represent the people. … We ask the questions that the people ask of us whether you like it or not. … The problem is we didn’t ask enough questions at the beginning of this war that we got into, Mr. Bush’s war. …
“I don’t mean to be discourteous. I’ve just heard enough of your smart answers to these people here who are elected. … So get off your high horse when you come up here.”
Rummy ignored this and didn’t answer. Good for him. Mr. Byrd, why don’t you resign too. You’re getting up there in years and you deserve to live among all the people you claim to represent. The world hasn’t changed that much since your pre-government days of KKK activity. Modern day people will tolerate you as much as you tolerate them.
Comments Off
