Dems Bash Rumsfeld's Nazi Comments

Defense Secretary Likened Iraq War Opponents To Those Who Appeased Hitler

(AP)  Democrats chastised Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld Wednesday for questioning the historical grasp of Bush administration war critics, accusing him of engaging in "dangerous business."

Several members of Congress had been urging Rumsfeld's resignation before he asserted to the American Legion that opponents displayed the kind of thinking that delayed military action against Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.

Rumsfeld said the world faces "a new type of fascism." And he warned against repeating the pre-World War II mistake of appeasement.

Rumsfeld's speech in Salt Lake City Tuesday, in which he also said that administration critics suffered from "moral confusion," prompted angry reactions from Democrats hoping to win back the majority in Congress.

"It is a dangerous business to accuse those who disagree with you of moral and intellectual confusion," said Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. "Debate in our democracy is based upon respect, not vilification."

Said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi: "If Mr. Rumsfeld is so concerned with comparisons to World War II, he should explain why our troops have now been fighting in Iraq longer than it took our forces to defeat the Nazis in Europe."

Responding Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said, "Facts are facts. As the secretary said in his speech, America and the free world face a gathering threat of challenges from a vicious enemy that is serious, lethal and relentless. There are important lessons from history that we ought to be mindful of as we talk about how we are going to meet the challenges extremist terror organizations present."

In his speech, Rumsfeld said it "was apparent that many have still not learned history's lessons." Aides later said he was not accusing the administration's critics of trying to appease the terrorists but was cautioning against a repeat of errors made in earlier eras.

Nevertheless, Rumsfeld's remarks were seen by many Democrats in Congress as fighting words.

Sen. Jack Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Rumsfeld has been "substituting sloganing for strategy" and delivered a "calculated political argument" to make people believe that to support a war against terror requires support of the administration's policies.

"I think the analogy is very, very weak," Reed, D-R.I., said of Rumsfeld's comparison of Iraq to World War II.

It is time Rumsfeld "should be departing" the Pentagon, Reed added. Reed, Pelosi and other Democrats have been calling for the defense secretary's resignation for more than a year.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York called Rumsfeld's portrayal of Democrats a "strawman" and said Americans need answers on how to deal with a looming civil war in Iraq.

Also Wednesday, a New York Democratic House candidate accused Rumsfeld of lying about progress in Iraq.

"After 21 months of trying to find something I can agree with Secretary Rumsfeld on, it is true: the American people are being lied to and I totally agree with Secretary Rumsfeld," Eric Massa, a Navy veteran, said in a conference call with reporters.

"What I disagree with is the fact that he's the one doing the lying," he said.

Massa, who is challenging one-term Republican Rep. Randy Kuhl, said he was outraged by Rumsfeld's comments and faulted him for blaming the media for his own misstatements and missteps. said the Bush administration has no effective plan to secure the country.

"This thing has disintegrated," Walz said of Iraq. "On the macro level, there's an absolute failure."

Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said the Democratic candidates' strategy is to criticize Republican efforts to win the war on terror, while elected Democrats are "committed to a strategy that will weaken our ability to defend America and make us less safe at home and abroad."

[thgdriver]

Nancy Pelosi knows full well that during the 2nd world war we were fighting a uniformed army, and thats what gave up after 3 years. If our enemy in Iraq came out of the caves and put on a uniform our fighting men and women could kick their A-- in a few hours. She can say whatever about Rumsfeld, but, Its not fair to our uniformed men and women to compair the two.

[lochlan-2009]

As has been pointed out many times by people all around the world, the only organization with any resemblance to Hitler and his Regime is this Bush/Cheney Administration. The attempt to turn the tables to their opposition is a complete joke, it doesn't even make sense.

[richmilesky]

observe, not obseerve. And Charlie McCarthy was the dummy, not the ventriloquist. So perhaps that analogy should be reversed?

[richmilesky]

Ourtomorrows said: "Just as a matter of historical accuarcy, world war II began in September of 1939 and ended in Europe in May of 1945 and in the pacific in August of 1945. The war lasted then a bit under six years. We have only been in Iraq for three."

Aside from the humorous irony in your misspelling of "accuracy", just as a matter of REAL historical accuracy, WWII began for AMERICANS in EUROPE, which was the point being made, in early 1942, only a few months after Pearl Harbor, and ended, as you obseerve, in May 1945 - a span of 3 years and 3 or 4 months.

Therefore, American troops have now been in Iraq for 3 years and 5.5 months (NOT 3 years, as you assert), or longer than they were in Europe fighting Hitler.

Try testing those foundations of "accuracy" before setting up your next straw man, OK pal?

[kenduerksen]

Rumsfeld just last week described our adversaries in the war on terror as consisting of loosely affiliated cells with an ephemeral command structure, making them elusive and hard to combat.

How in the world is this analogous with "Fascism"? Fascism is the unity of a society's political power, industrial capacity, military might, and media infrastructure in the hands of single leadership entity? "Fascism" in this context is nothing more than an evocative buzz-word the administration is using to heat up America's fear and hate to a level conducive to another costly invasion.

Rummy's insistence yesterday on a single political truth - together with: the Republican monopolization of the three branches of our government; the melding of the administration with FOX News and other cable networks; the cozy influence of industrialists with this administration; and the White House's affinity for unprovoked aggressive war - indicates that the fascists are much closer to home than the Defense Secretary suggests.

Ken Duerksen
Oxford, Ohio

[ourtomorrows]

To jailrove

Just as a matter of historical accuarcy, world war II began in September of 1939 and ended in Europe in May of 1945 and in the pacific in August of 1945. The war lasted then a bit under six years. We have only been in Iraq for three.

[ourtomorrows]

In one area Rumsfeld is right, appeasement and isolation have NEVER worked. Small threats that are ignored become major threats down the road. Even for those of us who support the president and, according to one poster, have a "naive understanding of History," are competent enough to see the lessons of the past world wars. Britain and France appeased Germany, Italy and Japan at every turn in the 30s--what did it get us? They wanted to avoid another war and instead got exactly what they hoped to avoid.

I get quite sick of the alleged intellectual superiority that is flaunted by those who oppose the President's policies and insinuate that anybody who supports ANY of his policies is a deluded simpleton.

Rumsfeld understands history, men like Howard Dean and Reid are far more dangerous because they don't and never will.

[jailrove]

And is the Iraqi insurgency more "vicious and relentless" than Hitler and the Third Reich? Is that why it's taking longer to win in Iraq than it did in Europe? Maybe if Bush hadn't declared V-day quite so early...

[alphaa10-2009]

<b>Rumsfeld is a big help to Bush-- secretly, he is Charlie McCarthy to Bush's Edgar Bergen.</b> If you actually catch Bush's lips moving when "Rumsfeld" speaks, you see at once how the routine is supposed to work.

So, <b>Rumsfeld is supposed to go out of his way to create acrimony, and clearly wants people to hate him-- all the better to divert public attention from his boss.</b> Why the diversion tactic? <b>Because Bush cannot take the heat for his own mistakes.</b> Rumsfeld is a former fighter jock, and any good wingman knows when his leader is about to be shot down and breaks up the maneuver, if he can.

<b>Bush is getting a little burned by all the incompetence he has displayed, and he needs somebody besides Rice in his corner. </b>But Rumsfeld, der GeneralFeldMarschall? The man even the Pentagon loves to hate? Javol ! Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld uber alles...

[rockygabriel]

Yo Rummy,

When you point the finger at facists, three a pointing back at you.

Go figure :)

BTW, I meant you!

[long_rider]

I don't like anything about this secretive, and opressive administration. I will support any, and all, efforts to impeach this president, and remove the co-president. This administration has been no good from the start, they have done zero for the American people.

As for anyone losing the war? Rumsfeld should look in the mirror, after all he is in charge of it. Isn't he?

Rumsfeld's speach was just like all speaches from the chimps cage (Whitehouse), hollow words.

[planetelvis]

NEO GOP CAMPAIGN SLOGAN: THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO OFFER IS... FEAR ITSELF.

After controlling America's direction for six years, Republicans look in the mirror and see disaster in their wake. They've put the nation in the middle of the Big Muddy called Iraq; failed to call to task those who designed and sold the nation on a dead end war; gave up on the concept of competition when doling out billion dollar no-bid contracts; kept the costs of war out of the federal budget; gave bin Laden a pass; helped spawn a worldwide boom in terrorism; smeared the reputation of critics; sliced health care benefits to veterans; tarnished America's reputation around the world; let a major American city drown; shut down the science business to leap into deathbeds, libraries, and phone calls; gave up on health care; polarized the nation; squandered a surplus; drove America into debt; built a bloated government; dragged the dangers of *** marriage and flag burning out of the grave; recruited the Creator of the entire universe as their party's personal mascot; and began minting fear as the coin of their realm. In desperate need of a campaign slogan, they can look to history for an answer. Of course, they'd have to give FDR's rallying cry their own, personal, revealing twist: Republicans: The Only Thing We Have to Offer Is... Fear Itself

[planetelvis]

GOP SLOGAN: THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO OFFER IS... FEAR ITSELF.

After controlling America's direction for six years, Republicans look in the mirror and see disaster in their wake. They've put the nation in the middle of the Big Muddy called Iraq; failed to call to task those who designed and sold the nation on a dead end war; gave up on the concept of competition when doling out billion dollar no-bid contracts; kept the costs of war out of the federal budget; gave bin Laden a pass; helped spawn a worldwide boom in terrorism; smeared the reputation of critics; sliced health care benefits to veterans; tarnished America's reputation around the world; let a major American city drown; shut down the science business to leap into deathbeds, libraries, and phone calls; gave up on health care; polarized the nation; squandered a surplus; drove America into debt; built a bloated government; dragged the dangers of *** marriage and flag burning out of the grave; recruited the Creator of the entire universe as their party's personal mascot; and began minting fear as the coin of their realm. In desperate need of a campaign slogan, they can look to history for an answer. Of course, they'd have to give FDR's rallying cry their own, personal, revealing twist: Republicans: The Only Thing We Have to Offer Is... Fear Itself

[Atlantic2752]

Rumsfeld is as dumb as a stone. He should resign immediately. He has lied in almost every speach he has given on the war in Iraq and the war on terror. Another buffoon of this buffoon president. Impeach Bush and the rest of his administration and charge them all with crimes against humanity for the murderous war in Iraq.

[clestes-2009]

Oh and I forgot to mention, Constitution bashers, First Admenment breakers, 4th Admenment stompers and general law breakers as well as like minded etc.....

[clestes-2009]

Oh get a grip, ActNow101. You can't really believe that this man, who with the other Bushies are going to be remembered by history as anything other than what they are. A bunch of like minded, narrow minded, egotistical, money grabbing, murderers.

If you believe that the Iraq debacle has made us safer, think again. It has TOTALLY weakened us in everyway. Our reputation is shot with every world leader except Britians and I'm not sure about that. We are massively in debt to China, who is no ally of ours! (do you remeber Bill Clinton left us in the black). The mismangement of the Middle East from Iraq to Lebanon has created hordes of people who will hate us forever (do you remember how close Bill Clinton had to getting every one to sign a piece accord.)
The latest fiasco in Lebanon was a disaster that strengthened Hezzbolla and Iran (who are enemies) and weakened Israel (our ally).

I have lived through presidents from Kennedy to gw and he makes Nixon look like a player. gw is the most incompetent, idiotatic, just plain stupid man to ever hold office. Christ, even Warren Harding didn't do as much damage as gw.

As for being ashamed, you should die of shame for supporting this facist!

[one_american]

Thank you, Don Rumsfeld.

Future generations will judge you favorably.

Those who cling to the dieing anomaly of Liberalism will wish they had shown more respect, although in the future, Liberals will be too ashamed of themselves to admit it.

[ezdidit-2009]

Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice,...who do they think they are fooling? They have all lied, cheated and squandered our military might and credibility throughout the world. They have degraded our country in virtually every rspect. They have endangered us more than any Administration. They are ultimately killers who should be put on trial in The Hague at the Court of International Justice.

The "War on Terrorism" is a political scam to make us all afraid. It is nothing more than a useless tactic. (Terrorism is not an enemy. Terrorism is a tactic.)

Strategic US terrorism in Iraq has inspired more terrorists than all the previous Middle Eastern misadventures in the whole of the 20th Century.

Rumsfeld should resign. All that the Neocon's ever wanted to do was destabilize the region and divide Iraq into three parts. That's the logical solution, anyway, but they won't even admit to this. Boo! to his current statement. Like so much of his thought, it is drivel from a killer.

[aesop2-2009]

I think Mr. Rumsfeld and other neo-cons should learn the definition of facisim. A noted Italian scholar, Umberto Eco, lists 14 characteristics of eternal facism. The list contains such elements as the cults of tradition, action for action's sake, heroism, and death; the rejection of criticism and diversity, obsession with conspiracies, and a scorn for the weak, among others. Sound familiar.

[lochlan-2009]

More rhetoric from the same government propaganda machine that has torn this country and it's constitution into a thousand pieces. Now, they're telling the American people, agree with our lies or you%u2019re a supporter of Hitler. Oh yeah, you%u2019re ugly and worship Satan if you support this Administration and their bombardment of lies... See, I can do name calling too. "Those who know the truth need to speak out against these kinds of myths and lies and distortions being told about our troops and about our country," says Rumsfeld. Don't worry we are.

"War on Terror", be afraid, be very afraid. THEY COULD BE ANYONE, ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME!!! Luckily we have the Bush/Cheney Administration. Whew.