Rummie strikes again. Does it make a difference?

[jgruber]

"US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the activities of Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada Sadr and his supporters are unlawful and harmful."

Does this do any good?  I don't get it. Surely Sadr knows the US is after him and willing to use extreme measures to stop him.  Does it help for Rumsfeld to make these speeches?

Rumsfeld warning for Iraq's Sadr
By Nick Childs
BBC Pentagon correspondent, reporting from St Petersburg

Donald Rumsfeld (left) with Sergei Ivanov in St Petersburg
Rumsfeld in Russia: Differences persist between the two countries
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the activities of Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada Sadr and his supporters are unlawful and harmful.

Speaking on a visit to St Petersburg, Russia, he said it was up to local coalition commanders and the Iraqi government to deal with the situation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3564318.stm

[Section Eight]

"US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the activities of Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada Sadr and his supporters are unlawful and harmful."

Does this do any good?  I don't get it. Surely Sadr knows the US is after him and willing to use extreme measures to stop him.  Does it help for Rumsfeld to make these speeches?

Rumsfeld warning for Iraq's Sadr
By Nick Childs
BBC Pentagon correspondent, reporting from St Petersburg

Donald Rumsfeld (left) with Sergei Ivanov in St Petersburg
Rumsfeld in Russia: Differences persist between the two countries
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the activities of Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada Sadr and his supporters are unlawful and harmful.

Speaking on a visit to St Petersburg, Russia, he said it was up to local coalition commanders and the Iraqi government to deal with the situation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3564318.stm

I don't believe Rumsfield (or any of our leaders for that matter) make these speeches for the benefit of the people we are fighting; BBC writer simply titled his article implying it was to Sadr.  However, I do think it is very necessary for the Secretary of Defense to attempt to explain the reasoning of our military actions to our citizens and our allies.

[jgruber]

He's telling us that we are doing what we are doing.

[Section Eight]

Do you not want to be told?  In my opinion, too much info is better than too little.

[jgruber]

But he's not giving us new information.  He seems to be declaring to the world what we already know.

It just makes me wonder.

[The ZAPINATOR]

edit

[jgruber]

Read my lips.  He didn't tell us anything we didn't know already.

But he's not giving us new information.  He seems to be declaring to the world what we already know.

It just makes me wonder.

It is the job of the Defense Secretary to tell what's going on in the course of the war.  As Section Eight said, he's letting the world know what's going on there.  I'm glad our Secretary of Defense is keeping us informed. 

ZAP

[The ZAPINATOR]

edit

[jgruber]

OK, but I stick with my original confusion. 

He didn't tell YOU anything YOU didn't know already.  If you're staying on top of it, you'll already know.  If not, his news conference will probably be news to you.  Read my lips: not everyone follows every detail of Iraq like you, and to those people he probably IS telling them plenty they don't already know.

ZAP

Read my lips. He didn't tell us anything we didn't know already.

But he's not giving us new information. He seems to be declaring to the world what we already know.

It just makes me wonder.

It is the job of the Defense Secretary to tell what's going on in the course of the war. As Section Eight said, he's letting the world know what's going on there. I'm glad our Secretary of Defense is keeping us informed.

ZAP