Quite a few stories and articles on the latest classified "Rumsfeld Memo" that was leaked to the world recently. People on both sides are taking snippets and reading into it what they want. So, as a matter of course I felt it neccesary to put in my 10 cents worth (darn inflation affects everything.)
But first, before my opinion, let's hear from a few other voices out there.
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KAIT ch8 out of Jonesboro, Arkansas reports:
On a Sunday political talk show, national security adviser Stephen Hadley played down the memo, simply describing it as a laundry list of ideas.
and
Murtha says the conflict in Iraq has descended into civil war, with U.S. troops "caught in between." Once Democrats take over Congress in January, he says, he'll put pressure on the administration to redeploy U.S. troops.
and
Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon told CBS that the Rumsfeld memo is "pretty close to an admission that we are failing."
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Capitol Hill Blue published the entire memo with the headline, "Rumsfeld's final memo admitted failure in Iraq". They inserted the following bit in their article:
Bush had already decided to fire his defense secretary and offered the job to former CIA head Preston Gates the day before Rumseld issued his fateful memo. White House souces say Bush read the memo Monday night, flew into a rage and decided to kick Rumsfeld as soon as the election was over -- a move that would be a public humliation for the Defense Secretary.
Bush told Vice President Dick Cheney on Election Day that Rumsfeld was out, no matter what happened in the vote. Cheney tried to talk the President out of the decision but failed. Bush's firing of Rumsfeld, sources say, has led to a permanent rift between the Preisdent and his Vice President.
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HotAir's Allahpundit posted:
I don’t have much to say about it but it’s everywhere so I’m obliged to blog. Re: the substance, he tosses everything out there except the one thing that would have the most appreciable impact: more troops, more troops, more troops.
Allahpundit also ruminates over who leaked the memo. His opinion is that it was either Bush or Rumsfeld or both.
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prying1 sez: Allahpundit sort of wins the contest I had mentally set up. (Sorry Allahpundit - no prize.) His posting was the first I saw that asked the question of who leaked the memo. I saw a passing reference to the NYT being the first to get it but did not substantiate that tidbit.
I read the memo and thought 'laundry list of ideas' best described it. Why it should be classified I don't know. BUT if it truly were classified I would like to know who leaked it! I would also like the bum thrown out of his job, given a shopping cart (with a wobbly wheel) and told to fullfil his real calling in life.
In the past 6 years has even one person been caught and prosecuted for leaking classified info from our government's offices? I missed it in the news if it has happened. I'm doubting it will happen within the next two years...
When security is disregarded by both sides for political points we cannot expect our country's flag to wave for much longer.
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Entire Rumsfeld Memo Here - thanks to the New York Times
And Also Here - Thanks to Capitol Hill Blue.
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