Donald Rumsfeld: 'It does not take a genius'

[mystery-ak]

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=5927D8FA-929A-4FC7-A063-3285C4F05240

 Donald Rumsfeld: 'It does not take a genius'
By: Tal Kopan
March 25, 2014 06:13 AM EDT

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is blasting the Obama administration’s handling of Afghanistan, saying a “trained ape” could have done a better job in diplomatic relations with the country.

“We have status of forces agreements probably with 100, 125 countries in the world,” Rumsfeld said Monday night on “On the Record with Greta van Susteren” on Fox News. “This administration, the White House and the State Department, have failed to get a status of forces agreement. A trained ape could get a status of forces agreement. It does not take a genius.”

The George W. Bush Cabinet official who presided over the beginning of the war in Afghanistan said that relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai were good under Bush, but have gone “downhill like a toboggan” under President Barack Obama.

Rumsfeld said he understands the position Karzai is in, from badmouthing U.S. officials to recently announcing he supports Russian President Vladimir Putin on annexing the Crimean region of Ukraine.

“United States diplomacy has been so bad, so embarrassingly bad, that I’m not the least bit surprised that he felt cornered and is feeling he has to defend himself in some way or he’s not president of that country,” Rumsfeld said. “We have so mismanaged that relationship.”

Rumsfeld called out individual members of the Obama administration, including the president himself, for comments he said “trashed” the Afghan president.

“They have trashed Karzai publicly over and over and over,” Rumsfeld said. “[Richard] Holbrooke, the special enjoy did. Vice President [Joe] Biden did. Secretary Hillary Clinton has. The president has been unpleasant to him. And it seems to me they put him in a political box where he really has very little choice.”

The former secretary said while he does not support Karzai’s position on Crimea, he gets it.

“I personally sympathize with him to some extent,” Rumsfeld said. “Nobody likes to hear a foreign leader side with Putin on the Crimea the way he has. But I really think it’s understandable, given the terrible, terrible diplomacy that the United States has conducted with Afghanistan over the last several years. … I think there is probably not a politician in the world who, dealing with the United States, instead of having the United States deal with him privately through private diplomacy, came out repeatedly, publicly, in an abusive, unpleasant manner.”

[Howie66]

It's painfully obvious that nobody in the Obama Regime could ever be accused of being a genius. No Siree Bob!

[PzLdr]

Yo! Donny!

While I yield to no one in my contempt for the Putter in Chief and his coterie of cretins, you're not the guy to talk. You started this "one size fits all" military, with its emphasis on black bag jobs, and SF predominance over the heavy units. War on the cheap. Except you ain't gonna beat the Russians and Chinese with 'A' teams. And, in a way, the mess in Iraq that metastasized into the wreckage we have now both there, and in Afghanistan can said to be the by product of your fight with Shisheski over how heavy to go into Iraq when 'W' decided to get rid of Saddam Hussein. In a way, it leads back to you. So, genius or ape? 

[Gazoo]

the Obama administration’s handling of Afghanistan, saying a “trained ape” could have done a better job in diplomatic relations with the country.

Remember: they called W. Bush a monkey he was so dumb. Think what you want about Rummy. He deserved to take this shot at jug ears. W. won't defend himself.

[DCPatriot]

So Mr. Rumsfeld....why don't you drop the 'incompetence' angle and get to the point....nobody else seems to be willing.

THIS IS DELIBERATE!   IT IS AGAINST THE INTERESTS OF THE USA!

And yet,  all we get is     .........

[Howie66]

So Mr. Rumsfeld....why don't you drop the 'incompetence' angle and get to the point....nobody else seems to be willing.

THIS IS DELIBERATE!   IT IS AGAINST THE INTERESTS OF THE USA!

And yet,  all we get is     .........

[mountaineer]

He'll just be called a racist for saying "ape." If he had said squid or earthworm, he might be okay.

[truth_seeker]

Yo! Donny!

While I yield to no one in my contempt for the Putter in Chief and his coterie of cretins, you're not the guy to talk. You started this "one size fits all" military, with its emphasis on black bag jobs, and SF predominance over the heavy units. War on the cheap. Except you ain't gonna beat the Russians and Chinese with 'A' teams. And, in a way, the mess in Iraq that metastasized into the wreckage we have now both there, and in Afghanistan can said to be the by product of your fight with Shisheski over how heavy to go into Iraq when 'W' decided to get rid of Saddam Hussein. In a way, it leads back to you. So, genius or ape? 

I tend to not have a positive view of Rumsfeld. Based on results, the two wars he led were in a mess when he departed.

If instead of military results, you apply the Obama standard, tough talk and no results, then Rumsfeld comes out okay.

[Fishrrman]

truth_seeker writes:
[[ I tend to not have a positive view of Rumsfeld. Based on results, the two wars he led were in a mess when he departed. ]]

I agree.

Neither the democrats NOR the Republicans (at least most of the "mainstream Republicans") have a clue as to what The West is facing in the islamic world.

That's why we accomplished next-to-nothing in Iraq (considering recent developments there) and nothing at all in Afghanistan.

History will record both ventures as one of the greatest wastes of blood and treasure of all time...