Masterful PR to Save Rumsfeld

Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is in trouble, and it is in all the headlines. But, apparently he has a genius in his corner as evidenced by his press conference yesterday. It was a masterful PR play.

Secretary Rumsfeld was a key and pivotal decision maker in all of the bad and incompetent decisions that have been made invading Iraq and directing the war in Iraq. His backing of the decision to invade Iraq, to invade without a plan for winning the peace, to invade prior to our troops and support personnel being fully equipped and safeguarded, to ignore the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people throughout 2003, his decision to not be bothered by signing those 1 thousand 280 some death notices to GI families, have all led to a heap of criticism of his performance recently. He apparently asked Karl Rove, 'How do I defend against all this criticism'?

The master political PR strategist apparently answered, 'you don't'! The criticisms are a result of thinking, and since they are legitimate in the minds of voters, you cannot defend your actions with thinking. Rove apparently told Rumsfeld, 'you must suspend their thinking, and the way to do that, is to tug at their heart strings'. Well, knowing Rove to be the guru of political maneuvering, Rumsfeld took his advice.

Yesterday, instead of trying to defend the needless GI deaths and injuries caused by his decisions, he invited the big hearted American people instead to feel sorry for him. That's right! Rumsfeld appealed to American emotions asking for sympathy by stating he was "truly saddened" anyone could think he was not laboring to protect U.S. combat troops. We should feel sympathy for Rumsfeld's sadness over being responsible for so many American deaths? What absolute genius! Those words appeal to the listeners to forget the criticisms and feel sympathy for the man responsible.

We can't have a sad Secretary of Defense, now can we? For goodness sakes, we must endeavor one and all to cheer up our Defense Secretary. I mean it's not like he is sad over the deaths of the GI's he sent ill-equipped into battle. He is sad that anyone could think he wasn't working hard at making all those mistaken and incompetent decisions. I'm a believer. Don't have to convince me.

I do believe Rumsfeld has worked very, very hard to make this war happen and that he lost sleep overlooking the need for a much larger force, better equipment, UN cooperation and assistance, and a delayed invasion date to fully prepare and plan. Oh, yes, indeed, I believe he worked very hard, but, it does not change the incompetence of his decisions nor the gross disregard for the safety of our soldiers in his rush to war and victory. And where is this Mission Accomplished victory we heard so much about?

But, Rove, being the genius he is, is probably quite correct in his supposed advice to Rumsfeld. Americans are emotional slobs and will likely feel great sympathy for Rumsfeld's sadness over being criticized and lose sight of the losses to our soldiers and budget busting defense spending and deficits it creates, and the incompetence that Rumsfeld has demonstrated in so many of his decisions prior to, and throughout this Iraq war. Regardless of motive and intent, such genius demands respect.