or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
May 19, 2008
Rumsfeld Told His Media Committee Our Enemies Are So Dastardly That They Have Media Committees
Among the documents the New York Times pried loose from the Defense Department for their story on TV military analysts are the records from a December 12, 2006 meeting some of the analysts had with Donald Rumsfeld. It includes this Rumsfeld complaint:
RUMSFELD: [Iraqi militias] know the center of gravity of the thing is here in the United States. It isn't out there. And they're designing their attacks to have maximum effect politically, to weaken the will of the American people. Doing a pretty good job. Hell of a lot more skillful at it than we are. Have a lot greater flexibility. They can lie. Don't have bureaucracy. They have media committees that they operate to manipulate the media. And they do it very skillfully.(mp3)
It would be wonderful enough for Rumsfeld to say this publicly, but it's truly beautiful that he did so to his own media committee. The only thing missing is Rumsfeld angrily denouncing Iraqis for being named Donald Rumsfeld.
(The entire hour-long briefing is available as a wav sound file or a pdf transcript. This section is on page 3, and starts at about 5:50.)
PREVIOUSLY IN WORLD-WITHOUT-IRONY NEWS: Dick Cheney tells Larry King:
CHENEY: I think there's a special obligation on major news organizations, when they're dealing with what can sometimes be life-and-death matters, to get it right.
—Jonathan Schwarz
Posted at May 19, 2008 05:48 PMSomeone please inform Mr. Rumsfeld that irony is dead.
Posted by: Dave at May 19, 2008 06:42 PMI wasn't aware that the function of news organizations of any size was to "deal with life or death matters".
I thought their function was to, you know, like report about stuff.
Posted by: Jimbo at May 19, 2008 08:36 PM"Have a lot greater flexibility. They can lie. Don't have bureaucracy."
I sometimes wonder if our political elites mistake bureaucracy for free will when they complain about people not going along lock-step with their madness.
Posted by: A Different Matt at May 19, 2008 11:19 PMSometimes war is a life or death matter, and sometimes it's just homestyle chicken salad.
It walks, it talks, it's the VP of the world's only superpower. Homo never was sapiens, but this must be the pits.
to paraphrase Bill Clinton, maybe it depends on whether your definition of "get it right" gets it right...
Posted by: Jonathan Versen at May 19, 2008 11:55 PMIt's a matter of life and death: Their life, your death.
Posted by: En Ming Hee at May 20, 2008 05:27 AMRumsfeld has a pretty funny line with that committee comment, he should tell it to a jury as should Mr. Cheney. 1-202-225-0100
Posted by: Mike Meyer at May 20, 2008 10:00 AMOh, Jimbo, your naivete is so cute. :-)
Posted by: catherine at May 20, 2008 12:23 PMIrony lives!
In other news, doublethink is also alive and well, and so is newspeak.
Thanks. Rumsfeld said crap like this on several occasions.
Posted by: Batocchio at May 20, 2008 04:48 PM
