Rumsfeld’s Memo of Options for Iraq War

Published: December 3, 2006

Following is the text of a classified Nov. 6 memorandum that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sent to the White House suggesting new options in Iraq. The memorandum was sent one day before the midterm Congressional elections and two days before Mr. Rumsfeld resigned.

Nov. 6, 2006

SUBJECT: Iraq — Illustrative New Courses of Action

The situation in Iraq has been evolving, and U.S. forces have adjusted, over time, from major combat operations to counterterrorism, to counterinsurgency, to dealing with death squads and sectarian violence. In my view it is time for a major adjustment. Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough. Following is a range of options:

ILLUSTRATIVE OPTIONS

Above the Line: (Many of these options could and, in a number of cases, should be done in combination with others)

¶Publicly announce a set of benchmarks agreed to by the Iraqi Government and the U.S. — political, economic and security goals — to chart a path ahead for the Iraqi government and Iraqi people (to get them moving) and for the U.S. public (to reassure them that progress can and is being made).

Cheney calls Rumsfeld 'finest US defence secretary'

By Washington correspondent Mark Simkin and Reuters

United States Vice President Dick Cheney says Donald Rumsfeld is the finest defence secretary in US history.

Soldiers and politicians have gathered at the Pentagon to farewell Mr Rumsfeld in a colourful military ceremony.

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Gus: colourful military ceremony... Ah, these words bring nostalgic tears to my eyes as I remember the days when my grandad was in the colourful armies on colourful horses... And the days when I played with tin soldiers in colourful uniforms... These soldier-figurines never bled, only falling awkwardly when hit with my powerful sling shot, on the miniature battlefields with crumbling sand castles... Of course one day, my dad, short of lead for his deep-fishing lines, melted them in a pot on the stove... The colours vanishing in grey smoke through the old chimney... Ah, colourful armies that were nothing more than dead-weight ideas of war and conquest and killing and death, with a bit of victory parade, in between tending to the badly wounded and ritualised burials of the dead, all in a cycle that seemed endless...

If all the finest of all "War" Secretary, Rummy Ducky, can create the magnificent quagmire in Iraq, imagine what the worst of them could have done... Yes, I agree with you all, "nothing-at-all" would have been better.

Rummy Ducky is a sad case of not much, except brilliantly pushing real bleeding men (and women) like tin soldiers into a situation which he did not, and still does not, understand. A situation where revenge makes armies as useless as my dad's fishing weights for a kid to play with... But then I was lucky... I still had a dad.

Too many kids have been bloodied by the "brilliant" Rummy Ducky for them to forget and forgive...

Farewell, Ducky, we won't miss you.