Judge Rumsfeld by His Successes And Failures

Before Abu Ghraib was known as a prison of barking dogs, nadedness and pyramiding but was a slaughterhouse where thousands of innocent Iraqis were executed under the Saddam Regime
Before there were democratic elections in Afghanistan and Iraq
Before documents were released showing links between Saddam and Al Qaeda
Before feminists were so Anti-Jew
Before the Butcher of Baghdad was given a smackdown as he was dragged from his spider hole…
And, after all of this was accomplished with record low military casualties, civilian casualties and military fatalities

The mainstream media has been after Donald Rumsfeld.

For years, even before Abu Ghraib when the US and Allies took Baghdad in three weeks, something they said would never be done with so few civilian casualties or military losses, the media and democrats were after Rumsfeld.

“I’m rather old fashioned, I like to engage my brain before
my mouth.”
directed at CNN reporter, Barbara Starr.

“If you believe everything you read in Maureen Dowd, you better get a life.”
Donald Rumsfeld, March 23, 2006(Reuters picture)

And do they hate Donald Rumsfeld!

But, putting feelings and unfocused criticism aside, it might be best to look at what the Secretary of Defense has accomplished since 2001.

Donald Rumsfeld reorganized the defense stategy for the United States:

The department has developed a new defense strategy and replaced the old model for sizing forces with a newer approach more relevant to the 21st century. Secretary Rumsfeld proposed and the President approved a significant reorganization of the worldwide command structure, known as the Unified Command Plan, that resulted in the establishment of the U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Strategic Command, the latter charged with the responsibilities formerly held by the Strategic and Space Commands which were disestablished.

Donald Rumsfeld also reorganized and downsized the US military base plan:

The Pentagon suggested on Friday the closure of 33 major U.S. military bases and the realignment of 29 others, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and Fort McPherson in Georgia.

Several smaller facilities were also recommended for closure as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave a nine-member Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission a list of recommendations for closing or consolidating many of the military bases in the United States and its territories.

Rumsfeld also helped in the plan to remove as many as 70,000 U.S. troops from Europe and Asia in a sweeping reorganization that he said would better prepare the military to handle crises.

As it turned out, Rumsfeld’s plans for the military were right on time because on September 11, 2001, the US was going to need a 21st Century military to fight terrorism . Rumsfeld was already there.

September 11, 2001 also put the already controversial Secretary of Defense in the spotlight.

So what has Rumsfeld accomplished since then:

25 million Afghanis were freed from one of the most evil regimes in world history, the Taliban, in Afghanistan.

The Freedom of Afghanistan took less than a month and to date their have been 284 US fatalities (355 Total Allies) in Operation Enduring Freedom. This is really unbelievable! And, it is even more so since the Left had warned about horrible consequences of an offensive against Afghanistan.

Looking at Iraq:


The recorded Iraqi civilian fatalities (including insurgents, military, morgue counts, police, etc.) were down 16% (16% maximum) this year… 38% (48% maximum) less than 2003. If you take out the numbers from that horrible day in August when nearly one thousand panicked Iraqis were trampled or drowned near a Muslim shrine, the year shows striking progress compared to 2003 and 2004 with fatalities one third less than in 2004.

Ann Althouse (via Glenn Reynolds) reported this comparison of Iraqi Civilian War casualties with other conflicts in recent history:

Click on picture to enlarge.

This shows how Iraq War Casualties compares to other American Wars:

More perspective on how the War in Iraq stacks up compared to
other US Wars
:



Iraq is no Vietnam, or Civil War or War of 1812!

Here is something you won’t hear reported in the mainstream mix… Here is the body count since the War in Iraq began in 2003 compared to when Saddam was waging his own war on the Iraqi people.:

The red area represents the estimated average deaths in Iraq under Saddam Hussein from 36 average deaths per day from mass grave discoveries, to 137 deaths per day from a different source. Saddam may have murdered up to 5% of the Iraqi population during his 20 years of rule.

What else?
Free elections in Afghanistan and three in Iraq.
No more rape rooms, no more public arena executions.
Democratically elected parliaments.
Unprecedented economic growth.

This has all been accomplished since 2001! What incredible change.
Yet, we have a democratic Party and their media that continues since the fighting began to fight against this Secretary of Defense, this president and this country.

On the down side you have Teddy Kennedy’s Abu Ghraib open under new management scandal that was being investigated when media went live with pictures and reports of barking dog abuse, nakedness and pyramiding.

You have the signature scandal that is only a scandal because this is the only American War where a Defense Secretary might have the time to sign each letter due to the low number of fatalities. (Could you imagine this getting front page news during World War II?)

You also have the retired generals who offer no clear reason for Rumsfeld to go. The only thing they agree on is that they do not like Donald Rumsfeld. Except for General Richard Myers, Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff!

Removing Rumsfeld only puts a stake in the heart of the Bush Administration. The media has been after Rumsfeld since before Abu Ghraib because of his strength and grit and because he is so effective. It would lead every paragraph for the next three years with “The failed Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld.” David Ignatius at the Washington Post is wrong and sadly the Captain is wrong as well. It didn’t start and it won’t stop with Rumsfeld. Removing Rumsfeld would play hard on President Bush. It could mean a defeat in November for those in the government who are willing to finish a war. It could have dire consequences for the people not only in Iraq but in Afghanistan as well.

Rumsfeld is arguably the most successful Defense Secretary in American History. Let’s treat him that way.

Update: Vasko Kohlmayer at American Thinker writes…Why They Hate Him So
Hat Tip Larwyn

Jeff Goldstein notes the several retired generals that are defending Rumsfeld. Do you think they’ll make the rounds on the talk shows tomorrow?

Elephants in Academia explains why Rumsfeld should stay.
All Things Beautiful has thoughts on these latest attacks on Rumsfeld.

Photo of author
Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

You can email Jim Hoft here, and read more of Jim Hoft's articles here.

 

Thanks for sharing!