Rumsfeld admits no Saddam/Bin Laden link

October 6, 2004

Too bad Bush is still OVERWHELMINGLY supported by the military. They KNOW what they're signing up for. The people bitching aren't the soldiers, by and large.

The soldiers KNOW that their death is a real possibility --- albeit a miniscule one (you do realize that less than 1% of soldiers are dying, right?). THEY, by and large, don't bemoan their fate. They, by and large, support the mission.

except for the 1/3rd that didn't bother to show up when called back up.

Of course, you can back it up, right?

-=Mike

October 6, 2004

and 16,000+ Iraqi civilians.

You know that something like 30,000 Iraqi Civilians died in the First Gulf War, right? Or are you just an idiot?

What has the number of Iraqi civilians we killed in the first Gulf War have to do with the amount that we have killed in this "war" (I use the word loosely) thus far?

I don't get why you are calling me an idiot..you're not making any sense...?! Idiot!

October 6, 2004

Too bad Rumsfeld has already issued a correction:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 4, 2004
A Statement From Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld

A question I answered today at an appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations regarding ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq regrettably was misunderstood.

I have acknowledged since September 2002 that there were ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq.

This assessment was based upon points provided to me by then CIA Director George Tenet to describe the CIA's understanding of the Al Qaeda-Iraq relationship.

Today at the Council, I even noted that "when I'm in Washington, I pull out a piece of paper and say 'I don't know, because I'm not in that business, but I'll tell you what the CIA thinks,' and I read it."

The CIA conclusions in that paper, which I discussed in a news conference as far back as September, 2002, note that:

* We do have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad.

* We have what we consider to be very reliable reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda going back a decade, and of possible chemical and biological agent training.

* We have what we believe to be credible information that Iraq and al Qaeda have discussed safe haven opportunities in Iraq.

* We have what we consider to be credible evidence that al Qaeda leaders have sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire weapons of mass destruction capabilities.

* We do have one report indicating that Iraq provided unspecified training relating to chemical and/or biological matters for al Qaeda members.

I should also note that the 9/11 Commission report described linkages between Al Qaeda and Iraq as well.

http://www.dod.mil/releases/2004/nr20041004-1352.html

-=Mike

I haven't actually seen this 'statement' anywhere else - has anyone else?

Dr. Tom · October 6, 2004

It's a DOD press release. News stations should've picked up on it... unless, of course, they'd rather just run the Rumsfeld quote and say "OMG we knew he was lying all along!!!!11"

Stephen Joseph · October 6, 2004

my god INXS, that's it. You're freaking dumb as rocks. Click the link...its the Freaking DOD. That's a government website, no some shmuck blog.

Would you care to retract your statement and acknowledge that yes, it is indeed a real bonafide statement from the real Donald Rumsfeld?

You do believe that is the DOD website right?

October 6, 2004

Apparently DOD means DOOD to him..................

Justice · October 6, 2004

and 16,000+ Iraqi civilians.

You know that something like 30,000 Iraqi Civilians died in the First Gulf War, right? Or are you just an idiot?

What has the number of Iraqi civilians we killed in the first Gulf War have to do with the amount that we have killed in this "war" (I use the word loosely) thus far?

I don't get why you are calling me an idiot..you're not making any sense...?! Idiot!

Because that was a fucking month long operation. This has gone on for 2+ years. We aren't even half-way yet (Even Iraqi Bodycount only recognizes that a little over 15,000 as the max number possible, with a minimum around 13,000) to that. For an operation that's a 'quagmire', we are doing pretty damn good for ourselves when it comes to our own casualties and civilian casualties.

jesse_ewiak · October 6, 2004

Too bad Bush is still OVERWHELMINGLY supported by the military. They KNOW what they're signing up for. The people bitching aren't the soldiers, by and large.

The soldiers KNOW that their death is a real possibility --- albeit a miniscule one (you do realize that less than 1% of soldiers are dying, right?). THEY, by and large, don't bemoan their fate. They, by and large, support the mission.

except for the 1/3rd that didn't bother to show up when called back up.

Of course, you can back it up, right?

-=Mike

From the evil liberal Army Times...

http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-ARMYPAPER-359116.php

1 in 3 IRR soldiers fail to report for mobilization

By Jane McHugh, Army Times, September 27, 2004

Many troops claim 'family situations'

About 30 percent of the 3,664 Individual Ready Reserve soldiers who have been called to active duty failed to report for mobilization, an Army Reserve official said.

The soldiers submitted papers for a "delay and exemption" process, claiming personal and professional matters that prevent them from showing up.

"Mainly it's family situations, such as someone's a sole parent or is taking care of someone in the family with a severe medical condition, or even they themselves have a serious illness," said Lt. Col. Burt Masters, a spokesman for the Army Human Resources Command in St. Louis.

The IRR members were supposed to report at staggered times from late August through late October to five mobilization stations nationwide, he said. The stations are Fort Jackson, S.C.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Knox, Ky.,; and Fort Benning, Ga.

A total of 1,085 IRR members submitted "delay and exemption" packets containing written documentation verifying their situation, Masters said. Written records from courts, physicians, businesses and government agencies are included in these packets, which are reviewed by a special board comprised of officers. Final approval comes from Col. Debra A. Cook, who heads the Human Resources Command in St. Louis, Masters said.

IRR soldiers who disagree with Cook's findings can appeal to the adjutant general of the Army, he said.

Several reasons cited

According to Masters, the leading reasons that IRR soldiers request delays and exemptions are: medical causes or disabilities; ;administrative mix-ups; ;financial hardship; being the sole caretakers for children or elderly parents,; and completing higher education.

the Army announced June 30 that it would activate up to 5,600 civilians on the IRR list between July 6 and early 2005 for the global war on terrorism. Whether there will be more call-ups is anyone's guess.

"We have not been told by the Department of the Army to cut more orders," Masters said.

Those who have not filed for exemptions, and who don't show up within seven days of their reporting date will be considered AWOL, and possibly will be charged as deserters. So far, 14 IRR people have been confirmed AWOL, Masters said.

As inactive reservists, IRR members don't drill, and ;are not assigned to a unit. Those who recently reported for duty are in-processing, playing catch-up with common task training and going through refresher courses.

"We all do PT at our own pace," said Spc. Shavonda Bivens, 27, an Army transportation management coordinator who recently arrived at Fort Jackson, S.C. A guard at her local jail in Tifton, Ga., Bivens is a single mother who left the Army in May 2002 and didn't give a thought to the IRR until the end of July.

"I got orders saying I was being activated back into the Army," Bivens said. "I never thought they'd call the IRR."

Bivens' 3-year-old son is being cared for by her sister and her mother.

In the beginning, the IRR adventure is quite different from the Regular Army, Bivens said. "You're not with a unit. You meet a lot of new people. And you have command sergeants major and colonels living in the same building," Bevins said.

Another Fort Jackson IRR soldier, Master Sgt. Lisa Turner, 45, is a former Marine and Army Reservist. Her family, including parents, husband and two oldest daughters, is in the military.

Turner and her husband, a retired Marine, have three children living at home. But no one in the family minded the IRR call-up notice, she said, even though her husband had to quit his state government job in Maine as a wildlife biologist because it was too far from their home.

Earlier, Turner was called up by the Marine Corps Reserve for the first Persian Gulf War.

"That time, I had five days to get ready and four children under 12. This time I had 30 days," she said.

IRR soldiers are given 30 days of advance notice to report to their mobilization station.

Mailgrams returned

But some - aside from those who have applied for delays and exemptions - haven't shown up because the mailgrams ordering them to report for duty were returned to the Army because they had outdated addresses, Masters said.

Of the 3,664 call-ups, 464 mailgrams were returned, but 367 of those were "resolved," Masters said, and the proper addresses were determined. The Army is in the process of tracking down the remaining 97, he said.

Justice · October 6, 2004

And this proves what? I think I'm missing the point of the argument here. No one wants to be sent into a warzone; it's only natural that some of them would want to get out of it.

Honestly, if it were our generation fighting WWII, I bet a good half wouldn't have shown up. That doesn't indicate anything of how just the war is or how good it's going.

jesse_ewiak · October 6, 2004

Mike wanted the statement backed up. I er, did.

Justice · October 6, 2004

Mike wanted the statement backed up. I er, did.

Eh, it's not a rip at you as it is at NoCal. No one wants to go into combat. It's not pleasant. Showing us that a third tried to get exemptions and delays before going back shows nothing, really, since I wouldn't doubt that, with today's people, it would be similar for any war if not worse.

October 6, 2004

Too bad Bush is still OVERWHELMINGLY supported by the military. They KNOW what they're signing up for. The people bitching aren't the soldiers, by and large.

The soldiers KNOW that their death is a real possibility --- albeit a miniscule one (you do realize that less than 1% of soldiers are dying, right?). THEY, by and large, don't bemoan their fate. They, by and large, support the mission.

except for the 1/3rd that didn't bother to show up when called back up.

Of course, you can back it up, right?

-=Mike