March 17, 2004

Rumsfeld Eats His Own Words On Television On Face the Nation, Sec of Defense Donald Rumsfeld claimed that the administration wasn't using the words "immediate threat." He stated those words are "folklore" created by the press. Trouble is that he used those very words in a CNN article that was quoted back to him on television.
posted by Sullivan 20 years ago
  • You can hear a beep beep beep beep going off in his head as he rapidly backpedals.
  • You people have no vision.
  • How delicious it is to watch an overbearing man being made to eat his own words. And fed to him by Thomas friedman, if I'm not mistaken?
  • Rep. Henry Waxman's Iraq on the Record report.
  • Excellent. Thomas Friedman should have leaped up onto the table and yelled "BURNED!"
  • Damn the press for not following the script!
  • Here's my dream sequence: T-Dogg scrambles up on the table, cocks a finger at Rummy, and screams "BOOOOOOO-YAH!" I'd be straight-rollin', yo.
  • It's a beautiful thing to watch Rumsfeld squirm.
  • I love watching anyone back pedal. Did he actually believe that he never said that? Or was he just trying to pull one over on them and he ended up getting burned? I'm guessing the second, seems he spends a lot of the time talking out of his ass.
  • Catching someone in an outright lie is always fun.
  • Thank goodness this won't affect his credibility.
  • Everyone should read Sullivan's link.
  • This is stupid. There is nothing to back up the claim that the administration was using the words "immediate threat" in the CNN article. The way it's written that a caller brought up the term and then Rumsfeld said it a couple times in hypothetical questions meant to dodge the question. He then went back to the usual "smoking gun" and "weapons of mass destruction" stuff that we all know and love. This was kind of a cheap shot on the part of Face the Nation. There's nothing in the CNN article to suggest that "immediate threat" was part of the administration's shtick. I'd be a thrilled as anyone to see Rumsfeld caught in a lie, but they didn't get him this time. They just stunned him for a moment. And Sullivan, if you MUST post something political every day, at least give us a warning when your post includes a direct link to a media file.
  • And Sullivan, if you MUST post something political every day, at least give us a warning when your post includes a direct link to a media file. I DO NOT post something political everyday. I posted this ( back in Febuary.)
  • It doesn't even sound like that's the quote in the CNN article, unless FTN took a little paraphrasing liberty. Sullivan, did you get the CNN article from the credits?
  • I didn't get it from the credits. I listened to it and thought Friedman was citing the comments made in CNN. Maybe not.
  • Galloway was a hero in Vietnam, forty years ago. Since then, he sees Vietnam everywhere. I would not accept his analyses uncritically.
  • While I think it's very cool that he got busted, does anyone think he or anyone else in this administration gives a rats ass about him getting busted. I'm guessing they don't. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't just come out and say, "that's my story and I'm by god sticking to it so fuck you."
  • Galloway was a hero in Vietnam, forty years ago. Galloway is the only civilian to win a bronze star in Vietnam.
  • mexican- Friedman was quoting from Rumsfeld's testimony before Congress in September 2002. The Center for American Progress discusses it here.
  • win a bronze star in Vietnam And it only took the Army thirty-three years to get the medal to him. Not as sorry a case as that poor Navajo code talker, but still.
  • My apologies, Sullivan. I was think of yesterday's post. Sometimes I overstate for emphasis. MetaFilter is discussing the same topic at this very moment. This link showed up over there and seems to prove Face the Nation's assertion, but it's from the Center for American Progress. It's not that I doubt what they have to say, it's just that it's sensationalism without a lot of substance. If you start making arguments like that you're starting down the path of those who would say that the Grand Canyon is only a few hundred years old.
  • MexicanWell who started the argument? Maybe the one who first denied/disagreed? and who's starting this very one?
  • Spinsanity on CAP's own spin. Good links therein.
  • And Sullivan, if you MUST post something political every day, at least give us a warning when your post includes a direct link to a media file. hey mexican, wanna buy a metafilter id?
  • Well who started the argument? Maybe the one who first denied/disagreed? To deny or to disagree, with reasons given, is starting an arguement? Should we just pass around that stale banana and call it a comment? This is simply a weak link. Rumsfeld can easily be taken to task for his many flights of poesy but this one doesn't deserve the tar and feathers. Check out this leap of logic from the CNN link: "What it would prove would be that the inspection process had been successfully defeated by the Iraqis," the secretary said. "There's no question but that the Iraqi regime is clever, they've spent a lot of time hiding things, dispersing things, tunneling underground."
  • From here on I vow never to comment in a thread where I haven't looked at all the links (and quonset, if you believe that one maybe I could interest you in this bridge...) The main reason I commented was because when I first saw this thread everyone was gloating, agreeing with each other, laughing and generally having a generally good time. It was really dull. Then I looked at the CNN link which had been provided as evidence and saw that it didn't back up what people were so excited about, so I decided to point that out. This led to ambrosia providing a better reference to go with the video and quonset_the_hut making an appearance. I'm satisfied with the outcome. I stand by the thing about linking to media. I know other users like Wolof always check the status bar before clicking a link but I like to think that I can know what to expect from a link from the context of the post (media-wise anyway)
  • Uh, yeah, I do, but policy
  • quonset, what's that id running for these days? cuz i gotta bag of marbles and some headcheese with your name on it...
  • Can I top that with some old Dragonlance novels? Got a full collection all the way to Villains I excepting Chronicles. Forksclovetofu: We can share the id :) Even days you use it, odd days me?
  • Lessee if I've got this right .... Ya'll don't really think we can hang Rumsfeld's mangy ass today, but it's ok to jump on Sullivan for a while? Hey, whatever, whoever, I just want vent a little. (not for real Sulli--we loves ya! Have a banana and rejoice at Jerkfeld's expression in the instant replay.)
  • Moveon.org has made a video of Rumsfeld's Face the Nation appearance.
  • For those interested, I've found the transcript of the interview (there's a link to the PDF on that page), and I've also located as source of the original quote, from the Department of State itself.