Rumsfeld and Biblical Briefings for Bush

[muriel_volestrangler]

on the morning of Thursday, April 10, 2003, Donald Rumsfeld’s Pentagon prepared a top-secret briefing for George W. Bush. This document, known as the Worldwide Intelligence Update, was a daily digest of critical military intelligence so classified that it circulated among only a handful of Pentagon leaders and the president; Rumsfeld himself often delivered it, by hand, to the White House. The briefing’s cover sheet generally featured triumphant, color images from the previous days’ war efforts: On this particular morning, it showed the statue of Saddam Hussein being pulled down in Firdos Square, a grateful Iraqi child kissing an American soldier, and jubilant crowds thronging the streets of newly liberated Baghdad. And above these images, and just below the headline secretary of defense, was a quote that may have raised some eyebrows. It came from the Bible, from the book of Psalms: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him…To deliver their soul from death.”

This mixing of Crusades-like messaging with war imagery, which until now has not been revealed, had become routine. On March 31, a U.S. tank roared through the desert beneath a quote from Ephesians: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” On April 7, Saddam Hussein struck a dictatorial pose, under this passage from the First Epistle of Peter: “It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.”

...

Still, the sheer cunning of pairing unsentimental intelligence with religious righteousness bore the signature of one man: Donald Rumsfeld. And as historians slog through the smoke and mirrors of his tenure, they may find that Rumsfeld’s most enduring legacy will be the damage he did to Bush’s.

*****

“what rumsfeld was most effective in doing,” says a former senior White House official, “was not so much undermining a decision that had yet to be made as finding every way possible to delay the implementation of a decision that had been made and that he didn’t like.” At meetings, he’d throw up every obstacle he could. “Rumsfeld would say, ‘Golly, we haven’t had time to read all of these documents! I mean, this is radical change!’ ” the official adds. “And then, if you suggested that maybe he should’ve read all the documents when everyone first got them a week ago, he’d say: ‘Well! I’ve been all over the world since then! What have you been doing?’ ”

http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_9217

[Chemisse]

1. That is so creepy

What a manipulator Rumsfeld was. Equally creepy is Bush being so ready to swallow it all. To me, having an intelligence briefing adorned in anything besides stark facts would scream out alarms.

I think people should give serious pause to voting for a religious zealot, no matter what the particular affiliation is. Someone like Bush is not all that far removed from the nut on the street corner crying, 'the end is near!' Come to think of it, that was what Bush was proclaiming for 8 years, with his multicolored danger levels and dire warnings of calamity to be wrought from any country he disliked.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Since we're quoting the Bible,

<15> Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
<16> Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
<17> Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
<18> A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
<19> Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
<20> Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:15-20

[noel711]

3. Surprised? Appalled? Shocked? Not really...

Nothing surprises me about that administration,
and their out-of-context use of scripture is common.

This is what happens in too many homes, too many schools,
too many churches, and too many government agencies
despite the separation of church and state: use Bible
quotes to justify your means with your end.

And because 99% of so -called Christians don't really
read, know, or understand the Hebrew Bible or the
Christian scripture.. they swallow this crapola.

Knowing the ancient religious texts does not mean
believing literally every jot and tittle.

It simply means than educated people read more than
their cereal boxes... and know that much of what was
written in ancient writings was not written for people
today.. and much of it was been translated beyond its
original meaning. If you want it to have meaning,
understand its context!

Because I often get flamed beyond recognition when I
post responses to religious threads.. I probably won't
write any more here. I'm not anti-religion, heck,
I'm clergy, and have studied the bible in its original
languages. But what manipulative clergy and 'authorities'
have done with the ancient texts to justify their evil
brings shame on our nation.
REligion itself isn't evil or oppressive, but how its
used against the unsuspecting people.

[madamesilverspurs]

5. There are many of us

who outright gagged whenever Bush or anyone on his team misused, misapplied or otherwise manipulated scripture. I lack the ability to study in other languages, but continue to enjoy the effort of digging deeper; Edersheim is fascinating even though I can't read half his footnotes. Anyway, I accepted a long time ago that God may well have inspired Holy Writ, but humans have held the pen and set the type.

[Psychic Consortium]

4. The fact they are sadistic sociopaths, insane, is become quite clear. nt