Rumsfeld - Time Person of the Year 2003

Ned · December 26, 2003, 03:19

"In 2003 Donald Harold Rumsfeld, 71, was the very word of war: he planned it, he sold it, he strutted through a postwar landscape that is still far from tidy. Armed with a new doctrine of pre-emptive warfare, he spurred the military to fight lighter and faster than it had ever fought before, rewriting the battlefield playbook for perhaps a decade or more. Energized by hard work and spurred by his stubborn refusal to bend, he has extended the Pentagon's clout on all kinds of nonmilitary matters, from civil liberties at home to the conduct of diplomacy abroad. His power has at times verged on the absolute, and even some White House officials wonder whether anyone can rein him in. Yet for all his apparent certainty, he found a way, in his exquisite fashion, to make clear that he was under no illusions about the limits of America's new global war on terrorism. As a result, his campaign to transform the military is just beginning."

http://www.time.com/time/personofthe...y.html?cnn=yes

Rumsfeld is arguably the most important person in government aside from the president. He clearly is the most intelligent cabinent official since Kissinger and the most innovative SecDef since MacNamara. Has there been a more effective SecDef ever?

Sava · December 26, 2003, 03:22

Quote:

intelligent cabinent official since Kissinger

mmmm probably the worst war criminal in recent US history...

good comparison

BTW, didn't the person of the year award go to the American Soldier?

Rumsfeld is a shithead... and so is everyone who likes him.

Nubclear · December 26, 2003, 03:23

Sava, the mindless liberalconservative and Ned, the mindless conservative, duke it out

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Ned · December 26, 2003, 03:26

Welcome to the arena, Commie T, the mindless communist.

Ted Striker · December 26, 2003, 03:27

I thought that the American Soldier was the Person of the Year?

Sava · December 26, 2003, 03:28

Quote:

Originally posted by Ted Striker
I thought that the American Soldier was the Person of the Year?

yeah, that's what I said...

it seems a better idea to give it to the American soldier rather than to the evil **** faced **** sucker who is putting them in harms way for his own political ends...

Sava · December 26, 2003, 03:29

Quote:

Sava, the mindless liberalconservative

liberalconservative?

wha?

Ned · December 26, 2003, 03:30

I think Time picked the American Soldier and their leader, Don Rumsfeld.

Clearly being hated by the left is a major badge of honor! To be associated with Kissinger in the list of archvillians of the left is a unique honor.

Thank you, Sava, for giving Rumsfeld your highest praise.

Sava · December 26, 2003, 03:38

sure...

I dunno why you keep making the dumbass mistake of thinking I'm on teh "left"... POLITICS ISN'T BLACK AND WHITE AS MUCH AS YOUR DUMBASS PRESIDENT WANTS IT TO BE!

and the political spectrum isn't one dimensional (left-right)

plus, Kissinger and Cambodia... every moral person informed about what old Henry did thinks he is an evil piece of ****

Agathon · December 26, 2003, 03:39

Just like Time to nominate a total gonad.

Drake Tungsten · December 26, 2003, 03:43

Rumsfeld

Agathon · December 26, 2003, 03:59

Rumsfeld the diplomat

Rumsfeld the tactician

Rumsfeld the man US troops demanded resign.

Imran Siddiqui · December 26, 2003, 04:30

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Rumsfeld

I'm with ya, Drake.

Rumsfeld

. I love the guy.

DAVOUT · December 26, 2003, 04:53

We know that we dont know the ultimate consequences of Rumsfeld tenure, and we know that we know his intelligence is only second to Bush, as delicately stated by the poor Ned.

Nubclear · December 26, 2003, 04:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
liberalconservative?

wha?

In the past you have espoused counter-revolutionary ideals

Az · December 26, 2003, 05:19

Rumsfeld

Drake Tungsten · December 26, 2003, 05:58

There goes your portion of the U.S. foreign aid check, Azazel.

Mr. Harley · December 26, 2003, 06:47

Rumsfeld, whose lighter and faster doctrine is going to result in my sister's (one of three, in case someone notice's and says how can she do that much) husband being deployed, not in the M1 Abrams he was trained in, but a Humvee. A vehicle that an RPG will turn into a twisted metal wreck if it gets hit.

Rumsfeld, who is willing to have substantially larger US casualties as a result of a new rapid deployment unit with only light AFV's and no organic artillery. (I'll post a web page with a full analysis from home if anyone asks - if they haven't had to yank the site).

Rumsfeld, the man who realizes you can save lots of money by not deploying M1 Abrams, both in transport aircraft and in hardware and training cost. If some of those boys get killed because they are in a Humvee, not an Abrams, well, they aren't the kids of any politicians he knows (I think it's something like three members in both house of Congress have children/grandchildren in the military, I haven't followed up the story).

Rumsfeld, the man supporting the Stryker boondongle, the biggest f****d up program since the McNamara DOD.

The only people who could consider him the man of the year are a group of militarily ignorant journalists who do not have a clue as to the difference between a shaped charge and AP round (as in the RPG 7). The man is a fool (a moron without the excuse of organic brain damage), and by creating a light infranty division all he is going to do is get more grunts killed. Ground forces on the cheap - you get what you pay for, and the widows, and now widowers, will curse his name, rightfully so. Go to some of the military bulletin boards and see how much the regular enlisted men think Rummy's "the man of the year." (note, as I've mentioned before, I liked McCain).

edited - I always mispell his name!

Drake Tungsten · December 26, 2003, 07:55

Rumsfeld

PLATO · December 26, 2003, 08:36

Time's Man Of The Year does not acknowledge that they agree with any of his ideas. It simply states that, in their opinion, he is the most important figure of the last year. In Rummy's case they are probably correct...he had as large an impact on the world this year as anyone I can think of.

Nubclear · December 26, 2003, 08:38

OOSUH! OOSUH! OOSUH!

DAVOUT · December 26, 2003, 08:47

You are certainly right PLATO, and he would deserve it only for his unique way to ridicule Clausewitz.

Quote:

Diplomacy is the continuation of war with other means.

D.Rumsfeld

Az · December 26, 2003, 08:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
There goes your portion of the U.S. foreign aid check, Azazel.

Great, maybe we'll finally have a real government.

btw, I just like Godwin-trolling such threads.

Bosh · December 26, 2003, 09:12

What a lot of people forget is that being Man of the Year has nothing to do with being a good guy, just being an influencial guy. Both Hitler and Stalin were Man of the Year and it was a joke that Osama bin Ladin wasn't Man of the Year in 2001.

Drake Tungsten · December 26, 2003, 09:13

And I just like counter-trolling. Kinda like Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld

Az · December 26, 2003, 09:19

Yeah, Boshko. I, too, think that OBL should've been TPoY 2001.

Nubclear · December 26, 2003, 09:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Boshko
What a lot of people forget is that being Man of the Year has nothing to do with being a good guy, just being an influencial guy. Both Hitler and Stalin were Man of the Year and it was a joke that Osama bin Ladin wasn't Man of the Year in 2001.

~~Bin Laden~~ Saddam Hussein is worse than HITLER thougH!

BeBro · December 26, 2003, 09:28

Quote:

Originally posted by Boshko
What a lot of people forget is that being Man of the Year has nothing to do with being a good guy, just being an influencial guy.

Yep, and the article Azazel linked to makes this more than clear. It isn´t at all a glorification of Hitler.

Alex · December 26, 2003, 09:37

Nah, Britney Spears should have been Time Person of the Year 2003.

Drake Tungsten · December 26, 2003, 09:45

Quote:

Yep, and the article Azazel linked to makes this more than clear. It isnt at all a glorification of Hitler.

It was a great article, wasn't it? Very informative about the events and attitudes of the time. I thought the best part was this one...

Quote:

In the U.S. alone did democracy feel itself strong enough at year's end to give Hitler his come-uppance.

Thank god we were there to save the world from fascism; seems like we're the only ones who ever have the balls to stand up to tyrants. God bless the USA!!!