This morning, ten more outrages were added to the big outrageous pile of outrages over outrageous revelations that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had used a so-called “autopen” to sign condolence letters. Even though he has not denied these ten additional outrages, Rumsfeld still refuses to resign.
- Instead of dialing his telephone by pressing all the digits, he makes use of a “speed dial” device for frequently called numbers.
- Instead of dicing, boiling, and mashing potatoes, he sometimes mixes freeze-dried mashed potato flakes with hot water.
- When he needs donuts, he buys them from retail outlets, instead of frying his own donuts from scratch ingredients.
- Instead of lacing and tying his shoes, he sometimes makes use of so-called “loafers,” which have no laces.
- Instead of typing into input fields on website forms, he has his name and other information saved as “cookies” which fill in many forms automatically.
- Once he bought new spark plugs, when cleaning his old spark plugs with a toothbrush might have extended their useful lives by up to six more months.
- He has had most of his clothing outfitted with “buttons” and “zippers” to make dressing and undressing almost effortless.
- When driving, he almost never tunes in his favorite radio stations with the “tune” dial, preferring to make use of special “preset” and “seek” buttons.
- If he were Buddhist, he would probably use a “prayer wheel,” which offers up prayers to the Deity on the behalf of the person who spins it.
- Instead of resigning in disgrace, he tends to win wars.
Well, he is re-signing.
Rummy deserves credit and honor for the overall job he has done. But in this particular auto-pen matter, he reveals a sad human failing. Errare humanum est.
W supposedly personally signs his condolence letters, according to Sen. Hagel:
“…”My goodness, that’s the least that we could expect of the secretary of defense, is having some personal attention paid by him,” said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., noting that President Bush signs such letters himself.
“If the president of the United States can find time to do that, why can’t the Secretary of Defense?” asked Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” ….”
Is Sen. Hagel’s question rhetorical, or did he really want to know the answer? I don’t know how many condolence letters President Bush writes, but I do know that a condolence letter from the defense secretary is sent to each and every bereaved military family. If the president sends fewer such letters, that alone would explain how he could “find the time.”
But this whole manufactured uproar deserves nothing more than derision. Apparently, we are going to start regarding auto-penned signatures as a “sad human failing.” That’s fine, but it is unfair to criticize Rumsfeld for having violated an ex post facto rule of etiquette we just invented this week, especially since he has graciously promised to obey it from this day forward.
I would be interested to learn who was the last Secretary of Defense to sign all condolence letters by hand. (Or the last Secretary of War, if he served prior to 1947. The auto-pen is not a new invention.) Does anyone know?
Yes, the uproar is manufactured. But the secy’s use of an auto-pen still is a human failing (of the sort that I certainly might be prone to). Because of our superior training, tactics, and technology (for which the sec’y deserves credit), we have suffered in this war, on average, 2-3 soldier deaths per day. That’s about an order of magnititude less than in Vietnam, and two orders of magnitude less than in WW II (~300 deaths/ day) (some interesting statistics at this page, btw ). The WW II sec’y of war could not reasonably have been expected to personally sign some 300 letters/ day. Here, otoh, not personally signing two to three letters per day, regardless of precedent, shows a certain depersonalization or lack of compassion. Particularly because, with casualty rates so low, the sec’y must be receiving during the course of daily briefings very specific information –such as name, age, and probably family - on the individual servicemen who have died. I am assuming that the President’s letters go to the families of all soldiers who have died, though don’t know for sure.
Perhaps though, as Powerline suggests, sensitivity is not a desirable quality in a defense secretary.
I’d like to respectfully request to change my sobriquet. ‘Honest doc’ has too much of a connotation of sanctimoniousness. Henceforth, I would like to be ‘simple city doc.’
Your name change is approved. (You would be well advised to steer clear of “world famous humble little country doctor.”)
As I said in my last comment, this auto-pen ban is a brand new rule of etiquette that is just now being invented by public opinion. Stated as a rule, it goes something like, “The secretary of defense should sign all condolence letters by hand, provided casualties are relatively light.”
I am not arguing against this new rule; I happen to think it’s a fitting gesture. But that’s not the point. By definition, etiquette is what society says it is. At one time long ago, it was okay to eat with your elbows on the table, and then society decided it was bad manners. Was society right? Of course it was.
But the attachment of blame for prior transgressions is wrong. Rumsfeld deserves no criticism for this, not even a little.
One More Reason to Hate Gleeson
Watch out
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday brushed aside criticism of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over his…
You know those 5 or 6 beers he drinks in the morning before going to the office? Domestic!
And boy, are my arms tired
If you really, truly have a problem with Donald Rumsfeld’s use of the autopen, a device which dates back sixty freaking years now, you need to read this from Connie…
Excellent insights, Sean. Moreover, I recall reading that Rummy himself personally drafted the condolence messages sent out over his name. Surely that counts for something, as well.
Given a choice for SoD between Oprah and Rummy, I would definitely opt for the less sensitive Rummy every time.
Submitted for Your Approval
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Submitted for Your Approval
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council link…
I heard eat sometimes eats canned soup!!! Can you imagine?
The Council Has Spoken!
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New Council Winners!
Some great stuff this week. First, The Diplomad gives us “Ratman of the Far Abroad,” a thought-provoking metaphor on the U.S. position in the world. Then, Sean Gleeson has a strong runner-up in “Ten More Reasons to Hate Rumsfeld,” a…
The Council Has Spoken!
The Watcher’s Council has met and voted on this week’s entries. There were a number of outstanding postings this week; it would be well worth your time….
Although your 10 more reasons are (mostly) funny, you are still wasting your time defending a 70+ year-old power junkie who should know better than to try and make the world a better place through war.
Oh, and by the way, your last reason is by far the funniest. Rumsfeld “tends to win wars”? No sign of that in Iraq, buddy.
Glad you enjoyed it, Steve, and thanks for setting me straight on Iraq. Here I was, trusting the so-called “news” reports of a new democratically elected government there. But apparently none of that happened, and Saddam is still running the show. Bummer. When, oh when, will the power junkies realize the futility of resisting the enemies of America?
I am so f’ing tired of this Rumsfeld bashing! I mean, this guy has been banging his head against the proverbial wall of democracy for years now and getting sh&*t on every step of the way. When does the left finally acknowledge the truth and what this great American has accomplished? God bless Rumsfeld and all those who understand the Rumsfeld docterine of peace through TERROR! F the weaklings and all those they coddle! Go Rummy, GO! Save us from tyranny!