THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 271, December 28, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
DISMANTLING RUMSFELD'S SUCCESSES
By Christopher G. Adamo
THE CONTINUING ENDEAVOR OF THE POLITICAL LEFT TO UNDERMINE THE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W. BUSH THROUGH
PERSISTENT ATTEMPTS TO DISCREDIT U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD -- RUMSFELD: A FAVORITE
TARGET OF LEFTIST LIBERALS IN THEIR UNBRIDLED CRITICISM OF EVERY MOVE BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO SHORE UP
U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY & SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTE THE WAR AGAINST ISLAMIST & BAATHIST TERRORISM
FULL STORY:
If the political Left is to have any hope of undermining President Bush’s second term, it must continue its previous efforts to destroy
the reputation of every worthwhile Conservative in his Cabinet. And no one is more likely to remain a target than Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld.
As the nation prepared for war in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, Rumsfeld’s candor and resolve, expressed daily during his press
briefings, made him immensely popular among the American people. Among reporters, he was grudgingly tolerated along with the
rampant flag-waving and other expressions of an America that was rising to meet its enemies head-on.
Few could credibly argue with his success during the War in Afghanistan, by
which the repressive and barbaric Taliban regime was decimated. Furthermore,
the al-Qa'ida network that had previously flourished there was largely
dispersed and destroyed.
Barely a year later, Rumsfeld was victorious once again, this time in the Iraqi
campaign, in which the Baathist Party of Saddam Hussein was toppled from power. Eventually, Hussein
himself was captured by American troops, and is presently awaiting trial
under the new government of Iraq, once it is fully established.
However, during the months that had lapsed between 9-11 and the Iraq
invasion, the counterculture in the U.S.A regained its anti-American footing,
whereupon it once again engaged in unbridled criticism of every move by the
Bush administration to shore-up U.S. national security. And once again, the blunt
honesty of Rumsfeld made him a favorite target.
Throughout the eruption of the Abu Ghraib scandal, Liberal pundits were
undisguised in their gleeful hopes of attaching the controversy to Rumsfeld,
with hopes of discrediting him and thus, the Bush Administration. But
despite their incessant hysterics, he weathered that storm as well.
Recovering somewhat from the shock of this year’s elections, the Left now
seeks to reassert itself politically. And that means eroding public support
for those issues that garnered major Republican victories this past
November. Chief among them is the threat of Islamic terrorism, and America’s
response to it.
As a result, Liberals know they must diminish America’s victories in the
Terror War. And that effort requires the neutralization of the most
successful “warrior” of that campaign. So, once again, the spotlight is on
Donald Rumsfeld.
In the past few weeks, a few events have coalesced to a sufficient degree
that, in the minds of President Bush’s political antagonists, they
constitute valid criticism of the Defense Secretary.
First, an American soldier stationed in Iraq, at the coaxing of an embedded
news reporter, pointedly queried Rumsfeld during a “townhall meeting”
regarding a supposed lack of armor for military vehicles. Meanwhile, back on
the home front, it has been learned that Rumsfeld utilized a mechanical
device to emplace his signature on letters to the families of fallen
soldiers.
To nobody’s great surprise, the “me too” wing of the Republican Party
quickly chimed in. Seeing blood in the water, Senator John McCain (R.-AZ)
told the Associated Press that he has “no confidence” in Rumsfeld. Senator
Susan Collins (R.-ME), a renowned Republican “moderate,” quickly followed
suit, much to the jubilation of partisan Democrats and the media.
But despite the raucous cries of “foul” from Liberal Democrats and from socalled "moderate"
Republicans, the substance of their complaints is all but irrelevant when
compared to Rumsfeld’s overall track record in office.
The mechanical replication of signatures by high-level officials is, in
fact, standard practice in Washington. At worst, the entire situation can be
termed “thoughtless.” The greater issue here is Rumsfeld’s successful and
efficient prosecution of two major wars, and thus the many letters that
never had to be written (or signed in any manner) in the first place.
As to the vehicle armor controversy, it is a fact of war that supply lines
are occasionally strained, and that personnel often need to make do under
less than ideal circumstances. But upon investigation, it turns out that the
vehicle armor problem was totally blown out of proportion, with all but
twenty of the eight hundred and thirty vehicles from the unit in question
already fully armored.
Successes for the Bush administration, particularly as they relate to the
War on Terror, will continue to be a detriment to the fortunes of the political Left.
Liberals will remain in the despicable position of needing to undermine
those successes in order to have any hope of gaining political traction and
credibility.
This, above all else, is at the root of their attacks on Rumsfeld.
Therefore, it is equally crucial that America remains steadfastly in support
of him.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics & Political Competition
American Government & the U.S. Presidency
The Threat of Radical Islam
The Middle East & the Arabs
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
War & Peace in the Real World
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian. Adamo maintains his own Internet website, which is located at
www.chrisadamo.com.
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