NY TIMES:
Rumsfeld Memo on Iraq Proposed ‘Major’ Change
By MICHAEL R. GORDON and DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: December 3, 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 — Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration’s strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.
“In my view it is time for a major adjustment,” wrote Mr. Rumsfeld, who has been a symbol of a dogged stay-the-course policy. “Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.”
Nor did Mr. Rumsfeld seem confident that the administration would readily develop an effective alternative. To limit the political fallout from shifting course, he suggested the administration consider a campaign to lower public expectations.
“Announce that whatever new approach the U.S. decides on, the U.S. is doing so on a trial basis,” he wrote. “This will give us the ability to readjust and move to another course, if necessary, and therefore not ‘lose.’ ”
“Recast the U.S. military mission and the U.S. goals (how we talk about them) — go minimalist,” he added. The memo suggests frustration with the pace of turning over responsibility to the Iraqi authorities; in fact, the memo calls for examination of ideas that roughly parallel troop withdrawal proposals presented by some of the White House’s sharpest Democratic critics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/world/middleeast/03military.html?hp&ex=1165208400&en=e9d758c9885fe7c1&ei=5094&partner=homepage
So, to answer Eu4ea's questions on the other topic (which seems broken):
How many:
1- Folks still believe that "stay the course" in Iraq is a practical strategy
2- Folks still believe that our involvement in the war in Iraqs helps us win the war on terror
3- Folks still argue that we've achieved anything other than furthering Iran's strategic interests in the region
4- Folks still folks who argue that Iraq bears no resemblance to Vietnam
Rumsfeld seems like a "no" on 1 and 2. Not sure what he'd say on 3 and 4.
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