by Aamer Madhani
The point of the Pentagon "military analysts program" was reportedly to cultivate retired officers turned television analysts to echo some of the Pentagon's talking points.
But in one conversation that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had with some of these retired officers, it sounded more like he was getting a pep talk from an officer that was keen on having Rumsfeld go and "crush" the critics of the Iraq war.
The exchange below came from a meeting that was held in April 2006 with Rumsfeld, Gen. Peter Pace, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a group of military officers who were among those retired officers that the Pentagon was offering talking points and spin to as part of the "military analyst" program. The program was recently suspended after it was unveiled by the New York Times.
The Pentagon yesterday posted thousands of pages of transcripts, documents and audio files related to the military analyst program on its web site.
In the leadup to this exchange that was culled from one of the released transcripts, Rumsfeld and the unidentified officers are bemoaning the simplicity of the media and the difficulty of getting the defense department's message on the war in the Iraq to the people.
I have included a portion of the transcript.
The defense department has also posted an audio file of this conversation that you can check out yourself.
QUESTION: Some would characterize [inaudible]. But I would also disagree with you, sir, respectfully. You are absolutely brilliant in front of the camera. And anybody -
RUMSFELD: Because I don't spend any time -
QUESTION: It doesn't matter. The point is that you are. And I think most of us would agree with that. But if the offensive is--
Many of us go on every day. We don't agree with everything the administration does, maybe with some of your decisions, but we get beat up on television sometimes when we go on and we are debating, and then we take the -- and we're all thick-skinned, or we wouldn't continue to do this.
But we would love -- I would personally love -- and I think I speak for most of the gentlemen here at the table -- for you to take the offensive, to just go out there and just crush these people so that when we go on, we're -- forgive me -- we're parroting, but it's what has to be said. It's what we believe in, or we would not be saying it.
And we'd love to be following our leader, as indeed you are. You are the leader. You are our guy.
You go on O'Reilly and you've got him eating out of your hand because you're smart and of course the rest of them are afraid to go near him. When you take the tough ones on like that and quite frankly it's because I think you have to, the world starts seeing you. You're on the offensive. You on the offensive of forward strategy. We're winning over there.
• 
• 
• 
Comments
Old Rummy sure could show his chickenhawk feathers whenever he needed to inspire the puppets that were masquerading as "military analysts" on major networks!! What phonies that entire Republican administration turned out to be!! I hope the voters are tired of these Republicans and vote those out of office, that deserve to be voted out!!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 8, 2008 5:41 PM
This is EXACTLY why we can't elect John McCain to serve out Bush's third term and continue with all of the same insane un-American policies that are already destoying this country.
Posted by: John E | May 8, 2008 5:48 PM
All fascist regimes rely heavily on propaganda.
Posted by: Bill H. | May 8, 2008 5:48 PM
More from the "great" Americans. They love America and Americans....as long as they believe EVERYTHING they belive in.
Posted by: bill r. | May 8, 2008 5:58 PM
Here's one critic Rumsfu@#$ will never crush.
Posted by: RomanB | May 8, 2008 6:35 PM
Too bad that the ones being "crushed" are the liars in Washington - shall we begin:
Gone -za - less
Ass craft,
Woe - ful - witless ,
Rums-fell
Lose your Scooter Libby
Tom De Lie
Now we are waiting for the Big Ones to be "Crushed":
Dick Chained at Sea
David, A Dick Tongue
These men deserve no respect, but should be made to pay for their lies, their disrespect for the Constitution and for war crimes.
Posted by: the truth | May 8, 2008 6:39 PM
Funny what the Swamp rteporter omits in the above article: the part where the officers are "bemoaning the simplicity of the media and the difficulty of getting the defense department's message on the war in the Iraq to the people."
In other words, the military think the media are biased, simplistic clowns.
Rumsfeld could crush war critics in any fair debate. But the media, knowing this, would never allow that kind of debate to happen.
Posted by: Bruce | May 8, 2008 6:43 PM
"MCCAIN SPEAKS"
9/11 WAS A DREAM, A MOVIE SOLD ON "EBAY"
GEORGE BUSH SR. BREAKFAST WITH SR. BIN LADEN WAS A MOVIE ON "EBAY" SOLD BY AN AMERICAN TO ANOTHER AMERICAN TO OFFSET HIS "FORECLOSURE NOTICE"
"ANTHRAX" WAS NOT REALLY ANTHRAX AND SENATOR DASCHLE "DREAMED" IT FROM A MOVIE ON "EBAY"
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WAS A FABRICATED MOVIE ON "EBAY"
GEORGE BUSH "SEE SPOT RUN, SEE AMERICA RUN" THE MORNING OF 9/11 IN FRONT OF 2ND GRADERS WAS A MOVIE MADE FOR FOX SOLD ON "EBAY"
"EAVESDROPPING AND WIRETAPPING AMERICANS" WITHOUT A "COURT ORDER" IS JUST MOVIE SCRIPT FROM "LAW AND ORDER" LOST ON "EBAY"
THE GENERALS ON TELEVISON ARE NOT REALLY FORMER GENERALS THEY ARE "EBAY" FIGURES POSING AS FORMER GENERALS FABRICATING WHATEVER GEORGE BUSH AND THE FAB FIVE FREDDIES TOLD THEM TO.
4100 DEAD SOLDIERS IS NOT TRUE, IT IS A "WAR MOVIE" THAT WAS "STAR WARS" THAT WAS SOLD ON "EBAY"
UNREAD PRESIDENTIAL MEMO DATED AUGUST 6TH WASN'T REAL, IT WAS A LETTER FOUND ON "EBAY"
AND "JOHN MCCAIN" BOUGHT IT FOR HIS "ECONOMIC SPEECHS ONLY"
Posted by: Roger Morris | May 8, 2008 7:03 PM
Old Rummy = Old Dummy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI
Posted by: Dunny Rummy | May 8, 2008 7:20 PM
Hey, " Vivian " , is that you, posting under the handle, " Bruce "?!! I thought you were on our side!! All I can say is, concerning that Rummy's ability to debate: Bring 'em on!!! He can't even find WMD or the nearest recruitment office where he could put his true patriotism on display, instead of the lapel pin flag!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 8, 2008 7:41 PM
Hey, " Vivian " , is that you, posting under the handle, " Bruce "?!! Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 8, 2008 7:41 PM
No, Don. That is just the same, old tired Bruce lapping at the bottom of the barrel. All his heroe's are packing their bags, gone, in jail, or under indictment. I would love to know the name of the brown-noser lapping at Rummy's pant tail.
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | May 8, 2008 8:21 PM
Rumsfeld is prooff that no republican should be in or near the Whitehouse.
Posted by: Alberto G | May 8, 2008 8:43 PM
Hi Don Fitz- No. I do not post under any handle other than "Vivian". There have been times, however, when someone else has posted some nonsense under my handle, or the name Vivian. That is weird to see. I usually am on the side of Dems except that I may differ on immigration a bit. I differentiate bx legal and illegal immigration since my grandparents did it the legal way, and I was very close to them and knew of the, again, legal hoops they had to go through in the 1920s to get here from Germany. They were law abiding citizen even in their attempt to come to this country. I usually agree with your opinions, and I totally like your closings of SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. BRING THEM HOME ALIVE. NOW. And, yes, VP Dick and Bu$hCo are blights on America.
Posted by: Vivian | May 8, 2008 9:04 PM
...law abiding citizens...
Posted by: Vivian | May 8, 2008 9:11 PM
Oh Yeah, Bruce....
The "simplicity of the media". It's hard to argue with the brilliance of Rummy.Just a few "gems" from Rumsfeld:
"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
"There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist." -on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction
"I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work." -asked to estimate the number of Iraqi insurgents while testifying before Congress
"Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning."
"It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months." -in Feb. 2003
"We do know of certain knowledge that he [Osama Bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead."
Posted by: dt | May 8, 2008 10:13 PM
Blame people like John McCain Vivian. Maybee people should start asking McCain about the Rev John Hagee. Guilt by association.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/740257/who_can_beat_john_mccain_barack_obama.html
Posted by: McWAR | May 8, 2008 10:40 PM
Sorry about that, Vivian. I thought I generally agreed with your postings, but for some reason I thought the poster " Bruce " was your post! Sorry about that mistake. You are right about the immigration problem. It is not an issue that is easily solved, but I think Senator Obama will arrive at a fair solution when he arrives at our White House, for the first of his two terms!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | May 8, 2008 11:32 PM
CRUSH THESE PEOPLE?
I would dare say those 3 words are every bit as newsworthy as 'God Damn America' or 'We would obliterate them.'
This is why we need media ownership reform. I hope everyone on both sides of the Democratic party race will consider attending the freepress.org convention in Minneapolis July 6 -8th!
Posted by: Lisa Barr | May 9, 2008 12:13 AM
"You go on O'Reilly and you've got him eating out of your hand because you're smart and of course the rest of them are afraid to go near him. When you take the tough ones on like that and quite frankly it's because I think you have to, the world starts seeing you."
If the militrary is this clueless it is time for change. Of course Rumsfeld goes on O'Reilly. He just throws a bunch of softballs to the warmongers like himself. There is nothing "tough" about O'Reilly. One of the worst mankind has to offer.
Posted by: syj | May 9, 2008 7:39 AM