Here's something you won't hear much about,
because Rumsfeld is one of those guys you are just
supposed to automatically despise. But listen to
this for a few sentences, and ask yourself whether
you are the unwitting dupe of arms merchants'
propaganda.
1) Rumsfeld appointed a Marine as head of the NATO
delegation. Unheard of! That was the Army's
sinecure. Nobody ever appointed a Marine to that
position. But Rumsfeld essentially thought, "This
guy wants to kill the enemy. He's the one I want."
An enormous slap in the face for the Army and its
slush-fund Senate hog trough.
2) All the military-industrial stooges have pet
projects that are being paid big money under the
table to promote. One of these was the Crusader
Mobile Howitzer. Absolutely useless for future
wars. Rumsfeld killed it. It was revived under
Democrat and Republican Senate bills, since all
these guys feed at the same trough. Rumsfeld made
sure it was killed again. They tried once more,
slip it past everybody in a clause. Rumsfeld
knocked it down.
3) When Rumsfeld had to appoint a new head of the
Joint Chiefs, he pulled a guy out of retirement to
do it, bypassing all the Army, Navy, and Air Force
guys who were waiting to try their pet projects
and get their lobbyists in the catbird seat. He
picked somebody with fewer military-industrial
lobbying ties and appointed him.
Of course Rumsfeld is the Devil's assistant, as
I'm sure many of you believe. But if you look at
what he's actually doing to procurement, he's
screwing up all the vendors of useless weapons and
appointing less corrupt people to high posts.
Strange how the Devil's helper seems to be doing good.
When I read about things like this, I am convinced
we are so systematically lied to about defense
that it's only natural Rumsfeld will be vilified.
He's stepping on too many powerful people's toes,
people who have the money to make you think
Rumsfeld is incompetent.
So what to believe? Good question, eh?
Momentarily Canadian, Eric
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