Rumsfeld Declines Iraq Insurgency Guess

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050218/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/rumsfeld&cid=542&ncid=1473

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld steadfastly declined Thursday to give Congress a public estimate of the size of the Iraqi insurgency.

Under persistent questioning by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., Rumsfeld said the disorganized nature of the insurgency make it difficult to pin down a reliable, specific estimate.

"They're not static. The numbers change," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites). "They're made up of different elements: criminals, Baathists, the former regime elements, the Zarqawi network and jihadists. Even though the jihadists are the smallest portion of them, they appear to us to be the most lethal."

Still, McCain pressed for numbers.

"Shouldn't the American people also know the size and shape and nature of the enemy that we're facing, since it's their sons and daughters who are going to serve?" he asked. Rumsfeld said it was not his place to declassify the estimates provided to him by intelligence services.

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I thought Rumsfeld said it was just a few dead enders a couple of years ago? :eyes:

[UL_Approved]

1. Well, what about rough figures?

Or, what about the list of interested parties in the insurgency?

Does the Pentagon know ANYTHING?

I find it hard to believe that after all our "planning and intelligence' that we face such difficulties in getting information on this movement.

For right now, it would just be nice to see our total casualty list. This includes all non-combat injuries and associated personnel.

[solinvictus]

2. Where's the flowers??

You know, the ones the Iraqis were going to throw at the American soldiers? Geez, this assclown should've been fired a year or more ago.

[fryguy]

3. "light at the end of the tunnel"?

waiting for them to start defining success by body-counts again....

[johnaries]

4. Did you see the clip on Daily Show?

Rumsy said it wasn't his job "to do INTELLIGENT work". Apparently not! ROFLMAO!