Shawn, he didn't miss it trust me.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shawn Gordon [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 4:34 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: [HP3000-L] OT: Rumsfeld in Kuwait
>
> You know what Michael?  We all see and read the news, you need to get over
> the fact that you lost the election and move on.  You obviously missed the
> addition to this story that a journalist had fed the questions to the
> troops.
>
> At 12:54 PM 12/9/2004, Michael Baier wrote:
> >After 21 month into the war and over 100billion spend, Rumsfeld finally
> >talkes to the soldiers (not generals) and guess what "I don't know what
> the
> >facts are"
> >Embarrassing to say the least.
> >But his boss gives him 4 more years to make a better military.
> >Who does these guys talk to? nobody that has the facts.
> >4 more years.
> >Where's the sticker "I didn't vote for him"?
> >
> >http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
> >tmpl=story&cid=564&e=1&u=/nm/20041209/ts_nm/iraq_usa_rumsfeld_dc_11
> >
> >Bush, Rumsfeld Try to Soothe Angry U.S. Troops
> >
> >WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Thursday U.S. troop
> concerns
> >about inadequate equipment for Iraq combat are being addressed and he did
> >not blame soldiers for raising the issue with Defense Secretary Donald
> >Rumsfeld.
> >
> >A day after he was bombarded with criticism from U.S. soldiers based in
> >Kuwait, Rumsfeld promised more would be done to protect forces. He also
> >said steps were being taken to deal with explosive devices, a leading
> cause
> >of death in Iraq, where more than 1,000 American soldiers have been
> killed
> >in action.
> >
> >Since invading Iraq last year, administration critics have accused it of
> >failing to send adequate forces and armor to stabilize the country,
> >allowing the current bloody insurgency to develop.
> >
> >The latest complaints put the administration further on the defensive.
> Bush
> >had rejected charges from Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry in the
> >campaign for last month's election that military forces in Iraq did not
> >have sufficient protection.
> >
> >"The concerns expressed are being addressed, and that is, we expect our
> >troops to have the best possible equipment. And if I were a soldier
> >overseas, wanting to defend my country, I'd want to ask the secretary of
> >defense the same question," Bush said.
> >
> >He told reporters in an Oval Office event that he has been telling
> military
> >families that "we're doing everything we possibly can to protect your
> loved
> >ones in a mission which is vital and important."
> >
> >California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Leader in the House of
> >Representatives, said Rumsfeld should be fired.
> >
> >She said the Iraq war "began 21 months ago and Secretary Rumsfeld has
> still
> >not done what is necessary, which is his highest duty, to protect our
> >troops to the greatest degree possible. No CEO in America would retain a
> >manager with so clear a record of failure and neither should President
> >Bush."
> >
> >Meeting with troops in Kuwait on Wednesday, Rumsfeld heard several
> >complaints, including one from Spc. Thomas Wilson that U.S. forces were
> >forced to dig up scrap metal to protect their vehicles in Iraq because of
> a
> >shortage of armored ones.
> >
> >"CONSTRUCTIVE EXCHANGE"
> >
> >"I don't know what the facts are but somebody's certainly going to sit
> down
> >with him and find out what he knows that they may not know, and make sure
> >he knows what they know that he may not know, and that's a good thing. I
> >think it's a very constructive exchange," Rumsfeld told reporters
> traveling
> >with him on Thursday in India, another stop on a regional tour.
> >
> >As the military adjusts to changing tactics of the insurgency, it
> requires
> >different types of equipment and approaches, Rumsfeld said. "It doesn't
> >happen instantaneously, but it has been happening pretty rapidly," he
> said.
> >
> >The criticism came just days after the White House announced Rumsfeld
> would
> >stay on in Bush's second-term Cabinet and the White House closed ranks
> >behind him.
> >
> >"In terms of Secretary Rumsfeld, I think it's important for those at the
> >top of the chain of command to hear from those who wear the uniform,
> >especially those on the front lines in harm's way," said White House
> >spokesman Scott McClellan.
> >
> >But late night television comedians seized on the issue, and comic Jay
> Leno
> >poked fun at Rumsfeld for saying that armor did not always provide
> >protection. "Then he got in his armored car and left," said Leno to
> laughs
> >from his audience.
> >
> >In an apparent effort to damp down the political fallout the U.S. general
> >in charge of coalition ground forces in Iraq vowed on Thursday to make
> sure
> >that all American military vehicles - including trucks - driven into Iraq
> >in the future would contain at least minimal armor plating.
> >
> >"And so we're continuing to work feverishly to ensure that they make our
> >requirement that nobody goes north without it," Army Lt. Gen. Steven
> >Whitcomb told Pentagon reporters in a hastily arranged teleconference
> from
> >Kuwait, where U.S. troops have been gathering before entering Iraq.
> >
> >Whitcomb told reporters progress had been made since August of last year
> to
> >upgrade armor on "Humvee" jeeps, although the military was still about
> >2,000 short of 8,100 "up-armored" heavily-protected Humvees requested by
> >commanders in Iraq.
> >
> >The House Armed Services Committee, meanwhile, released a list indicating
> >that only about 1,100 medium and heavy U.S. military trucks out of some
> >9,000 in the Iraq and Afghanistan regions had received needed protection
> >for their cabs.
> >
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>
>
> Regards,
>
> Shawn Gordon
> President
> theKompany.com
> www.thekompany.com
> www.mindawn.com
> 949-713-3276
>
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