• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

Rumsfeld's job 'on the line'

 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1936
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I didn't say it, BBChttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3689835.stm
I say: about time! :roll:
 
town drunk
( and author)
Posts: 4118
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
OK, keep it clean folks. No hitting below the belt, no biting, and no eye gouges. Now touch gloves and come out fighting...but nicely
M
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 382
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Not going to happen (in response to Ashok's post, not Max's).
Rummy is a very seasoned politician; Bush still has faith in him. He will continue at least till the end of this year. If Bush does get re-elected, Rummy may not serve in the Cabinet in Bush's 2nd term (just as Powell won't). Rummy may be sent to Afghanistan or Iraq as US Ambassador. Powell will most likely head to the UN.
Of course, if God tells Bush to can Rummy then ...
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2937
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I think it's fair to say that the parties on both sides of the isle are in shock and awe over what has become known and what might become known, as Rumsfeld hinted today. The best way to handle such a situation is to cut the losses short -- let the new Secretary of Defense step in, and work all the way down the chain of command to fix the problem.
 
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
No; I don't think Rumy's job is on the line. Just because some senator(s) mentioned it, it's not going to happen. These senators are only trying to exact political milage from it. They are transparent.
What happened, is his (Rumy's) fault though, as he admitted today to Congress his responsibility. But he's not going anywhere. Bush wants him as Defense Secretary so he will stay.
Think about it, who would substitute him? No one. No one who would be willing to play the secrecy game that Bush demands of his administration. The most secretive since Nixon's...
No, Rummy is not going anywhere.
[ May 07, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
"Rummy may be sent to Afghanistan or Iraq as US Ambassador. Powell will most likely head to the UN."
What did Negroponte do to PISS OFF Bush? I ask that, because he was appointed US Ambassador to Iraq!!
Anyway, I would consider an ambassadorship appointment to Iraq or Afghanistan a punishment, while an appointment to Monaco would be a different thing altogether (so my friends tell me... 007 is one of them!)
Rummy would resign and go back to his million$ before being stationed in a 3rd world hellhole with bullets flying over his head. No chance of that ever happening.
I see gorgeous golf courses and almost-virgin beaches for the likes of him in the future.
People like that never really suffer.
Only we ordinary people do.
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2166
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
if those disgustfull fotos are the end of the plan to democratize Iraq, this project has created lots of frustration.
Hope that this injects some dose of doubt in those with a very "clear" understanding of world. In my view, then the absurd sufferign of the victims (and the future suffering of the perpetrators) wasn`t futile.
One might understand some mechanism of his own society, but never ever own a masterplan about how to "help" another society.
Rumsfeld should leave office.
good night
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It will never happen. For reasons explained in my previous post.
As it turns out, we should have never invaded Iraq. There were no WMDs about to fall in the hands of Osama, and Bush used the US armed forces as a personal gang to avenge a personal thing. So there.
We killed Saddam's murderous sons and now have him in captivity. So let's get out. Let the iraqis fend for themselves. Let's not give them more US taxpayer's money either.
They deserve what they may eventually get for allowing Saddam to be in power for so long.
We should retreat immediately with the very clear understanding that if we Americans ever hear so much as a rumor that they are allowing terrorists to train in their so-called country, we will destroy from the air all their water treatment plants, electricity generating plants in addition to their infrastructure needed to live a close-to-normal life, plus any and all facilities suspected of being used against the civilized world, without the need of ground troops. And that includes children's hospitals and mosques. If they are even suspected of harboring terrorists they will be destroyed from the air without risking American lives.
We will treat it from the correct point of view that the life of only ONE American is worth more than the lives of all anti-americans combined
Good Job, Pres. Truman!:
"...Truman, the new U.S. president, calculated that this [nuclear] weapon might be used to defeat Japan in a way less costly of U.S. lives than a conventional invasion of the Japanese homeland."
Encyclopedia Britannica
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]
 
John Smith
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2937
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Sounds like Encyclopedia Britannica is the most credible source when it comes to dropping the nukes on the children's hospitals. How much did you say is the subscription?
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 124
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Tony Alicea:
We killed Saddam's murderous sons and now have him in captivity. So let's get out. Let the iraqis fend for themselves. Let's not give them more US taxpayer's money either.
They deserve what they may eventually get for allowing Saddam to be in power for so long.
We should retreat immediately with the very clear understanding that if we Americans ever hear so much as a rumor that they are allowing terrorists to train in their so-called country, we will destroy from the air...
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]


...
We give them money but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful.
They don't respect us so let's surprise them,
Let's drop the big one and pulverise them.
...
{ Randy Newman , 'Political Science' }
Hmm... well I wonder in that case if there should be a penalty for allowing George Bush to set up home in the White House and wander round the world in big tackety boots kicking household pets.
The only problem with the U.S. ( and indeed the U.K. of which I am an inmate ) pulling out of Iraq is that by kicking the shit out of them for daring to have WMDs that they didn't have, we have something of a responsibility to clean up the mess that we have made. If you go round to your neighbour's house, kill his wife and trash the place because he was playing his Britney CDs too loud then find out he hasn't got a stereo, you do have something of a moral obligation to him.
Or am I being very old-fashioned?

Ken
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Eugene: $50 a month for the access with a any browser in the free world. It's worth more than that.
I don't know if the site is blocked in China or Cuba or anywhere else. I have the data DVD installed in both my home computers. You and anyone else reading this post should too.
Had you ever heard of the name "Encyclopedia Britannica" before? I was surprised this week that one of my colleagues (the only one w/o a University education) had never heard of it.
One young, college educated dudette at work never had either, and we had lunch together at the company cafeteria right here.
I told her about the Encyclopedia (that some courts accept articles from as expert witness testimony) and last week I gave her a brand new Encyclopedia Britannica data DVD as a gift.
(Completely unrelated but she, a 25 year old attractive dudette told me two days later that not even her boyfriend had given her such a valuable gift. Ever.)
<JOKE>
I told her I was unavailable
</JOKE>
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
KR: Screw Them!
Or Bless Them. Your choice.
We liberated Iraq from hussein: Mission Accomplished!
We did the work for them and even Americans died for it which is unconscionable.
Let's leave them alone except for the conditions properly stated in one of my previous posts.
 
Wanderer
Posts: 18671
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
[TA]: We will treat it from the correct point of view that the life of only ONE American is worth more than the lives of all anti-americans combined
Or suspected anti-americans, apparently, since according to you we should rely on rumors. Or neighbors of suspected anti-americans. Yeah, that strategy is sure to make the world safer. :roll:
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi Jim!
Thanks for taking the time to reply to one of my posts.
Of course I was exaggerating (meaningless drivel, right?. Let's change it to "Lighthearted Drivel"!)
Now that you "call me on the carpet", I amend "rumors" to "CIA verified allegations that are 'fact' as far as the [new-soon-to-be-revamped] CIA is concerned"
 
John Smith
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2937
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
TA: I don't know if the site is blocked in China or Cuba or anywhere else. I have the data DVD installed in both my home computers. You and anyone else reading this post should too.
Had you ever heard of the name "Encyclopedia Britannica" before?

Nope, never heard of it -- must be some sort of plurality schtick -- install one copy on the computer on the left, the other copy on the computer on the right, and identify it as the state of completeness. Here in Cuba, we find both the tonal and the nagual in the writings of Che Guevara, -- that's all one must read, and so must you.
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
WRONG! But let us enlighten you:
You should have heard of the EB. From now on I suggest that in the unlikely event that you're asked that question in public, answer "yes; I have heard of the Encyclopedia Britannica of course..."
"Here in Cuba?"
Yes? Ha ha! You are not in Cuba.
Instead, are you near Burlington, VT?
Some of my best friends are Cuban, BTW...
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]
 
John Smith
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2937
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
TA: You are not in Cuba. Instead, are you near Burlington, VT?
Ah, not too hard to find out, is it? Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 27, page 349, in the "2000+ posts JavaRanch MD ranchers" article.
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 275
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Speaking of Cuba, does anyone know why Cuban cigars are so expensive ?
 
Axel Janssen
Ranch Hand
Posts: 2166
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Sahir Shibley:
Speaking of Cuba, does anyone know why Cuban cigars are so expensive ?


Because they have a very high quality. And this not because >45 years of real existing Fidelism is fertile ground for quality management, but because they have an excelent and unique combination of climatic and soil conditions in the western part of their you-are-not-allowed-to-leave-island.
In Cuba they aren't expensive. 7 years ago people permanently wanted to sell cigar boxes to me for a ridiculous price (black market). I bought 1 box, because more isn't allowed when passing my countries customs. I sold them to cigar shop here at a much higher price.
Locals explained inner working of cuban cigar manufacture to me: People work hard all day. But at the end of the day they have only a quite low number of boxes. They steal the rest to sell them to tourists to get dolares. For cuban man the dolar bill is what national flag is for us-american man.
hasta la victoria siempre
Axel
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Axel Janssen ]
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Axel Janssen ]
 
Tony Alicea
Desperado
Posts: 3226
5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
"hasta la victoria siempre"
Ha ha! "Deja vu!"
I don't know between you and me who had the most contact with self-declared active communists (I graduated from the Univ. of Puerto Rico, USA).
Another one: "­Patria O Muerte. Venceremos!" ("Country or Death. We Will Triumph!")
Do you have a different translation?
"Saludos",
Tony
[ May 08, 2004: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 820
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Tony Alicea:

We killed Saddam's murderous sons and now have him in captivity. So let's get out. Let the iraqis fend for themselves.


This would be totally crazy. If the coalition left now, Iraq would be full of chaos within a week, and the next Iran within a month. The aim of the war, to reduce the threat from terrorism, would have failed and the threat of terrorism would be higher. Whether or not the invasion was the correct thing to do, we have to stay there, or we'll have to come back within a year to do the same thing all over again. The only difference is that we'll know that the Iraqi government supports terrorists instead of suspect it. Building a democratic secularist Iraq is extremely important for us in terms of stopping terrorism, particularly to the US who would be the first target of an extremist government.


Let's not give them more US taxpayer's money either.


Why not? US (and UK etc) taxpayer's money took the country apart, so US (and UK etc) taxpayer's money should help put it back together again. We owe them a decent attempt at doing it at the very least.


They deserve what they may eventually get for allowing Saddam to be in power for so long.


Exactly what could Joe Iraqi do to stop Saddam then? Walk up to the palace and ask him to leave? The guy was a vicious dictator who had the army on his side. Even if most of the population wanted him out, there was probably not much that they could do to stop him.


We should retreat immediately with the very clear understanding that if we Americans ever hear so much as a rumor that they are allowing terrorists to train in their so-called country, we will destroy from the air all their water treatment plants, electricity generating plants in addition to their infrastructure needed to live a close-to-normal life, plus any and all facilities suspected of being used against the civilized world, without the need of ground troops.


So if the government decides to help terrorists then we should try to hurt the common people of the country, probably driving more into terrorist groups? Nice plan there. :roll:

And that includes children's hospitals


I was going to say something quite rude here, but I'm trying very hard to stick to the "be nice" drive. Use your imagination as to what I would have said

If they are even suspected of harboring terrorists


Blimey. So they only need to be suspected of harbouring terrorists? Mind you, it seems like the combined intelligence abilities of the US and the UK were mistaken, so perhaps we should base our foreign policy on rumours.


We will treat it from the correct point of view that the life of only ONE American is worth more than the lives of all anti-americans combined


Um. Again given the "be nice" policy I'm a bit lost for words, I'll try to say this as nicely as possible. I don't feel that the view point that American lives are worth more than the life of someone who is against America is a good one. All lives are worth exactly the same. France was "anti-American" from some people's point of view by threatening to block a resolution against America. Are French lives worth less than American ones? I'm not meaning to be nasty, but just to clarify what seems to be a slightly confusing view point.
[ May 10, 2004: Message edited by: Joe King ]
[ May 10, 2004: Message edited by: Joe King ]
 
Ashok Mash
Ranch Hand
Posts: 1936
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Joe, I think Tony�s post was more on the side of sarcasm, as far as I understand, Well, I guess he was ranting about the current state (sad) of affairs and the what could happen if Rumsfeld and the like continues to do what they are not good at � �helping others�!
Listening to the media (European, could be biased, I am not saying its not), reputed media groups have gone as far as to compare Abu Garcia to Nazi concentration camps, where they think the allied force interrogation techniques were so cunningly planned (for efficiency, of course, I don�t think they planed it because they think its fun), they have figured out the social system of Arabs, and according to one �Interrogation expert� on the radio the other day, comparing a human to dog is supposed to be as bad as insulting gets in the Arab world � well, may be only next to being paraded naked in front of woman. Media in here compares them with the images of torture from the concentration camps, where Jewish woman were paraded naked in public.
Well, I am sure the administration meant well, and their interrogation techniques are just a part of the aim for a better Iraq, but as ever, American administration once again go it all so spectacularly wrong, leaving international community to clear the ruins!
 
Greenhorn
Posts: 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Pdf Report
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 925
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
see page 8
However, it also stated �it is essential that the guard force be actively engaged in setting the conditions for successful exploitation of the internees.�
which combined with lack of discipline, makes it Rumsfeld's fault IMO.
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic