Secret Memos Reveal Rumsfeld Ordered Military to Link Iraq and Iran, Trashed Muslims

Posted by GottaLaff at 11:00 AM on November 1, 2007.

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films Blog

Boy-howdy! Rummy's little "snowflakes" (messages) sure conveyed some whiz-bang notions!

In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war.

Land-o'-Goshen, no wonder Big Foot Karen Hughes resigned. It's obvious. She couldn't turn a phrase.

Rumsfeld, whose sometimes abrasive approach often alienated other Cabinet members and White House staff members, produced 20 to 60 snowflakes a day and regularly poured out his thoughts in writing as the basis for developing policy, aides said.

Holy cow, forget Reagan! Donald's the one, the only Great Communicator.

Pessimistic news reports -- "our publics risk falling prey to the argument that all is lost" -- simply result from the wrong standards being applied, he wrote in one of the memos obtained by The Washington Post.

My stars! Nothing could deter Secretary Folksy's penchant for opening his big ol' "aw shucks" mouth:

Under siege in April 2006, when a series of retired generals denounced him and called for his resignation in newspaper op-ed pieces, Rumsfeld produced a memo after a conference call with military analysts. "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines, etc. Make the American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists," he wrote.

Gosh and golly! Scare 'em to death! That's how to make America safe. Heckuva job, Rummy:

People will "rally" to sacrifice, he noted after the meeting. "They are looking for leadership. Sacrifice = Victory."

Um, what victory, Rums?

Based on the discussion with military analysts, Rumsfeld tied Iran and Iraq. "Iran is the concern of the American people, and if we fail in Iraq, it will advantage Iran," he wrote in his April 2006 memo.

"Bumper stickers" to determine policy... Darn tootin'! Keep it simple for the simple folks. Worry them sick, right into World War III.

In one of his longer ruminations, in May 2004, Rumsfeld considered whether to redefine the terrorism fight as a "worldwide insurgency." The goal of the enemy, he wrote, is to "end the state system, using terrorism, to drive the non-radicals from the world." He then advised aides "to test what the results could be" if the war on terrorism were renamed.

I've often renamed Rummy. Unfortunately, none of my renames are printable.

Now, about all that oil:

He also lamented that oil wealth has at times detached Muslims "from the reality of the work, effort and investment that leads to wealth for the rest of the world. Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed," he wrote. "An unemployed population is easy to recruit to radicalism."

If radicals "get a hold of" oil-rich Saudi Arabia, he added, the United States will have "an enormous national security problem."

But that's not important now. What is important is all that pesky criticism. Lordy! How does one deflect all that criticism?

As public discontent and congressional questioning grew in 2006, his final year at the Pentagon, a series of snowflakes revealed a man determined to counter the chorus of media criticism in one- or two-line zingers to staff members about specific articles.

Rumsfeld's best zinger? "I resign."

UPDATE: WH distances itself from Rumsfeld's comments on Muslims

The Washington Post reports that as Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld complained that oil wealth has detached Muslims "from the reality of the work, effort and investment...Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed." Today, White House Press Secretary said President Bush disagrees:

QUESTION: I asked you about the memos that are published in The Post from Donald Rumsfeld and his quote that oil wealth has made Muslims averse to physical labor.

PERINO: That is not -- I went back and looked, and that is not at all in line with the president's views.

Tagged as: bush administration, terrorism, iraq war, iran, muslims, rumseld

GottaLaff is a regular blogger for Cliff Schecter's Blog