Rumsfeld's Speech

Secretary Rumsfeld's speech to the American Legion is rightfully getting attention and discussion. That's the speech where he implied that the Democrats, many Republicans, and the majority of the American people who criticize the war in Iraq are the equivalent of Nazi-era appeasers.

Since we haven't heard much from Rummy lately, his dramatic return seems to signal a new White House media campaign. (Elections must be near.) Rumsfeld, and no doubt Cheney, will be handling the "shock and awe" rhetoric before the President begins his next series of speeches, announced today.

I expect the President, following the Rovean playbook, will confine himself to repeating the same vague and high-sounding statements we heard in his last round of (apparently ineffective) speeches, while he lets others handle the character assassination and mudslinging.

I'll let other people dispose of Rumsfeld's distasteful speech in detail. But I must say this: it ill-behooves a man who has personally shaken hands with Saddam Hussein to talk about other people's "moral and intellectual confusion."


(Photo from the National Security Archive)