Don't Worry! Be Happy!

AP (12.05.05):

"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday the American public should be optimistic about the situation in Iraq, and not judge progress based on the death toll or media reports alone." Rumsfeld Offers Optimistic View of Iraq

Don's honked at the media, "saying that in the present era of the 24-hour new cycle, events in Iraq may be reported too quickly and without context, and at times with little substantiation." Unsubstantiated facts, reported too quickly and without context? Sorta like Curveball and the mobile germ labs, and his other assorted nonsense? Or do you mean the stuff about Al Qaeda training camps in Iraq? Couldn't be that aluminum tube stuff, could it? Maybe it's those Niger/Iraq uranium documents. Big Don got this right: "'A lie moves around the world at the speed of light.'" Don also "said Iraqis are more upbeat about their country because it is on an improved political path and on the road to democracy." On the other hand, given what Don's said in the past, it's hard to fathom why they should be. Telegraph (06.15.05):

"Iraq is 'statistically' no safer today than it was at the end of the war, Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, has admitted. He blamed Syria for allowing insurgents to enter Iraq to fuel the unrest since the coalition took charge." Iraq 'statistically' no safer, Rumsfeld says

Previously, he's also blamed Turkey as part of the reason we're in the mess we're in. Don also mentioned that there "is a 'jarring contrast between what the American people are reading and hearing about Iraq and the views of the Iraqi people.'" We're not sure, but we don't think this is exactly what Big Don had in mind. AP (12.05.05):

"The training of Iraqi security forces has suffered a big 'setback' in the last six months, with the army and other forces being increasingly used to settle scores and make other political gains, Iraqi Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer said Monday. Al-Yawer disputed contentions by U.S. officials, including President Bush, that the training of security forces was gathering speed, resulting in more professional troops." Iraq Forces Suffer 'Setback' in Training