Progressive Talking Points 11/21/05

Rumsfeld Joins the Attack

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows yesterday as the latest member of the Bush administration to “hit back” against the administration's critics. Rumsfeld hit back against calls for troop redeployment, charges that the White House manipulated intelligence to sell its war in Iraq, and criticisms that progress in Iraq has stalled. The White House is clearly relegating responsibility for its failures in Iraq onto lawmakers, U.S. soldiers and the American people.

• Rumsfeld said calls for redeployment aid terrorists. The administration has been hitting back hard against Rep. John Murtha’s (D-PA) call for the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq. Rumsfeld, in his Sunday appearances, linked dissent against the administration to harm for Iraqi citizens, the American people, and U.S. troops, and to aid for terrorists. Rumsfeld also condoned the White House's attacks on Murtha, comparing the congressman to movie producer Michael Moore.
  
  
• Rumsfeld continues the White House rewrite of pre-war history. Secretary Rumsfeld will not admit that the pre-war intelligence was flawed, nor will he admit his role in promoting it. Despite his role as "the most visible and certainly the most colorful frontman for attacking Iraq,” on ABC Rumsfeld insisted, "I didn't advocate invasion." He also will not admit that Iraq had no nuclear weapons at the time of the 2003 Iraq war, and still insists that "Al Qaida ... had some connection with the Saddam Hussein regime."
  
  
• Rumsfeld and the administration are ignoring the reality on the ground.significant progress ," ignoring reports from top U.S. generals that there is only one Iraqi army battalion that can fight without help from the coalition Despite evidence that Iraq has become a haven for militants wanting to improve their skills, and despite the deadliness of this past weekend, Rumsfeld thinks Iraq is going fine. Rumsfeld believes Iraq is making "