Donald Rumsfeld Speaks on

[Theben]

DL dance anyway!

[dannubis]

perhaps it's time we use your avatar to do the dance ?

[Ted Striker]

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by floppy_lobster
This country will be the next frikken third riech and if you really arent with us. You will definately be in trouble

this part I definitely agree with

[Ted Striker]

Really though, what's next.

Rumsfeld on cooking!

Rumsfeld tells you how to pick clothes that accent your personality!

Rumsfeld lets you in on how to keep her coming back for more EVERY NIGHT.

[dannubis]

cool hand Rummy

is there anything he can't do ?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Its a real communication problem having 4 public voices on FP - POTUS, State, defence and NSC.

Should be one or two.

You've just put your finger on it. Think about those 4 people in Bush's 1st term:

POTUS - no foreign policy experience; not the brightest bulb in the box
SecState - Not trusted by the Bushies; not on board with the neo-con agenda
NSC - smart, loyal, a true-blue neocon -- but not in a position of sufficient stature to speak for the country

And who does that leave? SecDef. (It also leaves the Veep, but my sense is that Cheney has been trying not to seem too much like the Puppetmaster)

[Alexander's Horse]

Governments spend a lot of time getting their Ministers on message, crafting briefing and media talking points etc, but Rummy seems to me to have been out of control from day 1 (and not alone mind you - Cheney is another speak first, think later type).

He did go through a period before and after the Presidential election, i.e. when his job was on the line and he could hurt the Bush campaign, where he buttoned up - what a blessed relief that was - but now he's back to his motor mouth worst.

He must be a nightmare to work with. You can't manage people like that.

The only thing you can do is schedule travel and vacations to places that take him out of the public eye and away from microphones and cameras - but even if you sent the guy fishing in Alaska you can just imagine him wading across a river right through the Grizzly beers to give a sound bite or two and a few noddies to the Alaska Times, and still causing global headlines probably.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse

The only thing you can do is schedule travel and vacations to places that take him out of the public eye and away from microphones and cameras - but even if you sent the guy fishing in Alaska you can just imagine him wading across a river right through the Grizzly beers to give a sound bite or two and a few noddies to the Alaska Times, and still causing global headlines probably.

In that case, he needs to be sent to Iraq, FULL TIME.

My parents had a rule, whether we went to other people's homes, or to a restuarant, or even to the bathroom. "Son, you're going to leave the place nicer than when you found it." Well, the same for Rumsfeld, he's not going to leave until the place is fixed.

[KrazyHorse]

Rumsfeld just loves the sound of his own voice.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by dannubis
is he serious ?

Given his other posts here, I'd say his lobster still flops, and he's not to be taken any more seriously than any of our other trolls.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Governments spend a lot of time getting their Ministers on message, crafting briefing and media talking points etc, but Rummy seems to me to have been out of control from day 1 (and not alone mind you - Cheney is another speak first, think later type).

There's a great Cheney story from his first days as SecDef under George I. Larry Welch was the Chief of Staff of the USAF back then, and Welch had gone to Capitol Hill to visit a personal friend from their early air force days who was now a Congressman. Cheney assumed (based on no information) that Welch was up there lobbying, so when he saw Welch at lunch, Cheney called Welch out publicly in the outdoor dining area inside the E-ring about "freelancing" and going up to the Hill without permission. When Welch explained who'd he'd gone to see and why, Cheney just turned away in a huff and muttered something to the effect of "well, don't do it again."

One of Welch's buddies made a remark about the exchange, and Welch replied that he'd "been shot at by professionals, so getting shot at by an amateur was no bid deal."

And Cheney hasn't learned a thing since then, almost 17 years ago.

[DanS]

All these guys are old hands. None of them are speaking to hear their own voices. They are using the press to try to get their way in the internal fights of the administration. Normally, those who are speaking the loudest aren't getting their way, but sometimes it's used to press an advantage. Sometimes it's leaks to the press, like Powell was good at doing. Sometimes it's more public, like with Rumsfeld. It has always worked this way in Washington.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Which always begs the question of who's actually in charge?

[Alexander's Horse]

And this is probably the real reason you get all these voices - Bush is not a great communicator so others feel they have to step in.

I dare say he's not a great cabinet disciplinarian either. I can think of many heads of government who would jump on any minister who spoke out of turn or off topic.