Leave it to the former Presidential Daily Briefer for George Herbert Walker Bush to lay the wood on Rummy. Don Rumsfeld would deny that the Sun rises in
the east even if he was strapped naked and spead eagle on a cross facing Mecca. Perhaps Rummy and Cheney could get together a do a road show. The working title? Denial Ain’t a River in Egypt.
Today Ray McGovern, the man who used to give George Bush senior his daily intel update, spoke truth to power. Rumsfeld, to his credit, permitted Ray
to speak rather than be carried out of the auditorium. In retrospect, Rummy probably regrets that decision.
For Rummy, lying is becoming a way of life. He had the chance to be a stand up guy; admit his past error, and repent. If he had done that the American people would be willing to cut him some slack. But Rummy chose the coward’s way. He lied and denied. Unfortunately, his handlers have not briefed him on the existence of recordable video cameras. The American people have a short attention span if they have to read and remember, but if they see you lie to them on tape, look out. The don’t like being played for suckers. Check out
the exchange at Crooks and Liars. Here’s a partial transcript of the exchange between Don and Ray (thanks to Crooks and liars):
Rumsfeld: …it appears that there were not weapons of mass destruction there.
McGovern: You said you knew where they were.
Rumsfeld: I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were and…
McGovern: You said you knew where they were. Tikrit, Baghdad, northeast,
south, west of there. Those are your words.
Rumsfeld: My words-my words were that-no-no, wait a minute–wait a minute.
Let him stay one second. Just a second….
So, Rummy never said that? NOT. Here’s what he said to George Stephanopolous three years ago:
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Key goal of the
military campaign is finding those weapons of mass destruction. None have been found yet. There was a raid on the Answar Al-Islam Camp up in the north last night. A lot of people expected to find ricin there. None was found. How big of a problem is that? And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, they haven’t found any weapons of mass destruction?SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think — let me take that, both pieces — the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Second, the facilities, there are dozens of them, it’s a large geographic area. It is the — Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the urdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what’s there in fifteen minutes.
I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don’t know that. But it’s way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
Second, the criminal facilities, there are dozens of them, it’s a large geographic area. It is the — Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the
Kurdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what’s there in fifteen minutes.I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don’t know that. But it’s way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
Whoops! Don, you’re wrong buddy. You did say it. And, in retrospect, you also told Stephanopolous that the Zinni/Peay plan for invading Iraq was offbase and required too many troops. Heavens to Betsy, looks like you screwed the pooch on that one too.
……………………………………………………..
Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder
of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm
that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by
terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously
with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s
Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized
expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk
management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety
of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio,
ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News,
and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for
publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York
Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and
aviation security around the world. Further bio
details.
Personal Blog: No Quarter
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BoomanTribune Posts
In an otherwise dismal day, Ray McGovern’s performance at the press conference and on Anderson Cooper’s show was a real bright spot.
First Colbert standing up to the grim-faced Bush and now McGovern standing up to Henny-penny Rumsfeld. It was delicious. For some reason, Rumsfeld allowed McGovern to speak. Perhaps it was that he recognized him and imagined the press images of him being dragged out would be worse.
He sure exposed Rumsfeld as the bumbling liar we always knew he was.
.
I just watched the exchange on CNNi with Wolf Blitzer’s Situaton Room and a tough discussion afterwards with studio guests. On two incidents in Atlanta, Donal Rumsfeld was proven wrong: statements indeed about weapons of mass destruction at known sites near Baghdad and the presence of Al Qaeda in Saddam’s Iraq.
All Rumsfelt could counter was the presence of Al Zarqawi in Iraq. As you know, Al Zarqawi wasn’t an Al Qaeda leader before the Iraq invasion. Apparerently Al Zarqawi has ben discredited recently as an asset to the cause of Osama Bin Laden. The Sunni population is now working against Al Zarqawi and his fighters.
Defense secretary cites importance of non-traditional allies
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP/CNN) — Protesters repeatedly interrupted Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a speech, and one man, a former CIA analyst, accused him of lying about Iraq prewar intelligence in an unusually vociferous display of anti-war sentiment.
“Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?” asked Ray McGovern, the former analyst.
“I did not lie,” shot back Rumsfeld, who waved off security guards ready to remove McGovern from the hall at the Southern Center for International Studies. (McGovern talks to CNN about Rumsfeld)
Ray McGovern confronts Donald Rumsfeld as he deniedsaying before the war, that he knew where weapons of
mass destruction were in Iraq.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Yes, he is da man.”This is America?”
You`re da man also Mr. Johnson. I always read your diaries & watched you last week on a TV show interview on your former colleague accused of leaking classified info on secret prisons. Are you & your former colleagues a team & if so, when can we expect the next outbreak of truth. I think one a week is working just about right, with “da man” Colbert, covering on the weekends.
You bet he is! Olbermann covered this right out of the gate last night. He even stopped the tape at the points where Rummy denies he said these things and then puts up the transcripts with dates of what and when he said it. It was a thing of beauty.
Then, Scumbourough did a segment about it, called Rummy out for lying but then said what a heck of a guy he is, so friendly and likable and cool under pressure. It was obscene. He must have crap all over his face after the butt licking!
They emphasized Rumsfeld’s aplomb, his coolness under pressure. Then came McGovern who had Rumsfeld sputtering in response.
Even now, the wingers are praising Rumsfeld for how cool he is when heckled. I would love to see the scene backstage where Rumsfeld yells at his staff and anyone else who is handy.
to the audio book Cobra II together. I don’t know that we will ever know how 100% accurate it is because the people that it is about will never admit to anything……anything at all, but it is very eye opening to hear in that book why the different members of this administration desired a crown with an Iraq jewel in it and even more interesting as to who wanted Iraq and who just wanted to prove he had great big ones and who adored seeing their reflection in W’s burnished ass cheeks. What a vomitable vile porridge though a bunch of nutjobs made being thrown into one soup without the supervision of any sort of chef or even a fry cook!
and the whole world is suffering from it.