Donald Rumsfeld, The Man Who Lost The War

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National News wire - The Infinite Echo

Many in Washington share the blame for US failures in Iraq, but none more so than Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. From the beginning it has been his baby, and his battle plan, As Secretary of Defense, he alone shoulders the responsibility for the endless parade of disasters in Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld stands front and center. He is without question, the man who lost the war.



US ground troops prepared for the invasion of Iraq by racing their Hummers across the Nevada desert. They did not prepare for an insurgency, as they were told not to expect one. Instead, they were told they would be greeted as liberators. Rumsfeld now steadfastly insists that no-one at the time could have predicted the size or intensity of the current insurgency. A grave error indeed. Rumsfeld ignored the first rule of combat… never underestimate your opponent.

The dead keep piling up. Iraqi hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties, and still no running water or reliable electricity. Violence continues to escalate, with August of 2006 proving to be the deadliest month in Iraq since the invasion began. There are no victories, no winners. According the US Pentagon, the streets of Baghdad were safer than the streets of our own nations capital prior to the invasion. Sadly, such is obviously no longer the case.



Still, Rumsfeld continues to willfully send our young men and women into a hostile environment to be maimed or possible murdered. He has shown little remorse the mess he has made. True to form, he refuses to appear weak, when in fact, his conduct has been nothing less than cowardly. Indeed, failure in Iraq is not an option, it’s a fact. One need not strain to hear the fat lady sing. She is well through the second refrain of her swan song. Through acts of arrogance and pride, the cause is lost. There will be no victory, nor vindication. The situation cannot be salvaged, and for that, you can thank US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Or perhaps it would be more accurate if we simply refer to him as the man who lost the war.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

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Democratic Debate Yields Clear Winner

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo

The first democratic presidential debate was like watching a beauty contest, or perhaps choosing a scoop of ice cream. So many choices, all a little different, but all perfectly splendid by any account. I came away from the debate last night feeling refreshed, and even optimistic. I know who the winner was… America.


B. Thomas Cooper

We actually have choices that don’t include excepting the status quo, code words for neo-conservative extremism. We don’t have to keep financing a bad war. You want my opinion? Don’t give George W. Bush another dime for Iraq. If so agreed, I would however be willing to give him enough money to purchase a rope to hang himself with. Maybe justice would indeed prevail when his head pops off and his body slumps to the dirty floor. I don’t believe in capital punishment, but I’d make exceptions for George W. Bush and his cronies. They have caused the deaths of a thousand Columbines.

At any rate, this being the worst administration in US history, it stands to reason that anyone other than the current occupant of the White House can only be a vast improvement. McCain not withstanding, of course. The election is still far too distant to begin with the predictions, but we all have good reason to get a little giddy about the eventual outcome. The heart and soul of America is about to change hands, whether George W. Bush likes it or not.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo

Condoleezza Rice, A Trail Of Failure

National Newswire
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor

For Condoleezza Rice, her first two years as Secretary of State have been nothing if not Catastrophic. The once rising star of the Bush administration has proven herself inept at a multitude of levels, unable to cope, let alone demonstrate even a modicum of palpable intellect or diplomacy. She has been an embarrassment to herself and the Bush administration.

Since Rice assumed the position January of 2005, the White House agenda to promote freedom and democracy worldwide has resulted in monumental failure. Under her watch, the crisis in the Middle East has been severely exacerbated. The US has already suffered the loss of nearly 3500 lives fighting an un-winnable war against an un-definable enemy, and any surge in US troops will only worsen the situation.

As for Condoleezza, her demeanor has gone from swagger to stammer. She has lost her confidence. She has lost her nerve.

It must be painful to watch helplessly as one’s reputation and credibility implode under scrutiny. Her jingoistic prediction of pending mushroom clouds were accepted as fact by millions of good Americans, and right about now, many of those same Americans feel deceived. Condi, true to form, has never publicly expressed remorse for the lies.

Condoleezza’s trail of failure runs long. Victories have been few and insignificant at best.
In nearly every notable instance, her style has led to deterioration in diplomatic relations.

North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon; take your pick. All have seen their relationship with the US languish under the Bush administration. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has taken an ugly turn for the worse, while the ongoing genocide in Darfur has been all but ignored. The situation is grim.

I don’t foresee any real shift in administration policy as long as Bush remains in the White House. George W. Bush chose to be a war president. Indeed, war will be his legacy and failure his longest shadow. As Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice has contributed in no small way to the undoing of this administration. Hers is a trail of failure, a trail that can only lead to a dead end.


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