Rummy goes French

US Secretary of War, Donald Rumpelstiltskin, moral midget, now sinks to quoting dead French generals on warfare. Sure, quote Napoleon Bonaparte (he was Corsican actually), but WWI general Clemenceau? Quote RumDum:

"You know from experience that in every war -- personally -- there have been mistakes and setbacks and casualties,'' he said. ''War is,'' as Clemenceau said, `A series of catastrophes that results in victory.'

Aha! It's no wonder we are suffering a 'series of catastrophes', it's part of Rummy's plan for victory! Sorry to disillusion you, Dumbsfeld, but despite Clemenceau's dictum, a series of catastrophes is more likely to lead to defeat than victory. And what does RumBum mean by "personally"? He was never personally in a war. I suppose hope is the best 'strategy' we can expect from these clowns (apologies to genuine clowns).

As for me, I think we should take the successful American general and President Grant's word on it: War is Hell. There's a plan for Rumenceau: Go to Hell (but don't take US with you).

PS Making fun of someone's name is stupid but I cannot help myself.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah for President!

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said he made a mistake in ordering the raid that triggered the Israeli attack on Lebanon. Imagine, a leader with the strength of character to admit mistakes! Bush could learn a lesson in leadership. Bush claims divine guidance in his zeal to democratize the world (negated by his hypocrisy and bumbling). This Sheik is a bona fide religious leader who does not claim infallible judgment.

Make no mistake, we've made Hussein look like a minor league killer ("Bush league" is the new major league). The count of dead and injured in Iraq is over 2,500 dead and nearly 20,000 grievously wounded Americans, and over 100,000 dead Iraqis.

Exit question: Will the trial of Hussein on gassing Kurds (we are apparently ignoring the Iranian victims) call Donald Rumsfeld to testify on his involvment?

Not meaning no disrespect

I've heard too many “hate the war, love the troops” reports. You know the drill: a soldier dies and muted doubts about the war are carefully balanced by respect for the soldier's commitment to protecting and serving the nation. Honestly, it has always sounded strained – because it is nonsense, a misguided attempt to correct the errors of the Vietnam war. Now, we might all just accept this deception if it worked. But the worst part is that this “respect” isn't actually helping returning servicemen reconnect. About the same fraction of Vietnam and Gulf War veterans suffer severe psychological illness.

Many people are serving their communities by working hard in underpaid jobs. Or protecting the nation by defending the rights of the vulnerable. None of these jobs come with the pay and perquisites of the armed forces, which are accepting the unqualified and frankly bribing the qualified to join or reenlist.

You don't need basic training to serve your country. You just need the basics. Strive to improve yourself, love your family and friends, and do what you can to help the needy in your community.