Rumsfeld accuses critics of being morally confused?

Question

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused critics of the Bush administration's policies on Iraq and terrorism Tuesday of suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion about what is right or wrong."

Considering that over 54% of americans disagree on how Iraq is being handled isn't this statement ridiculous and completely false?
Who else feels that he was completely out of line making this statement?

Answer 1

I am so sick of republican liars... they are destroying the morality of our country with statements like that.

Statements like that is exactly why I am no longer a republican and vow to vote for a yellow dog before I vote for any republican ever again.

They are always attacking, name-calling, demeaning, trying to smear and flat out use FALSE lies rather than take a look at why 60% of the country doesn't like what they are doing.

God, I literally hate them. I hate them for, I feel ruining the morality of our country with this type of deceptive dishonestly.

That bastard stands there and had the audacity to question my morality when he is the one who sent TOO LESS of a number of troops into Iraq costing American lives for that mistakes. He questions my morality when he is responsible for this war that he wanted a over a decade ago and he KNEW there were no WMDs. So he questions my morality when he KNOWINGLY LIED to the American ppl and is responsible for 100,000s of Iraqi civilian lives.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/view/

Answer 2

I'm not a fan of ol' beady-eyed Rummy, but in the context of the Yahoo! Answers community, I'd be inclined to agree with him on this one.

Every time I read the "Politics & Government" board I hear things like "Weren't the Nazi's just the victim of Jewish propaganda?" and "If a cop kills a gang-banger, doesn't that mean he's basically a terrorist?"

If you read carefully, you realize that some of the most forceful arguments do not promote or defend a particular point, but rather devalue all points into an artificial and abstract equality. It is a tired old game that amounts to "look how smart I am...I can see all sides of all arguements."

I'm inclined to believe that moral equivalency is actually moral vacancy. Taking a stand requires a person to recognize an inner ethic (call it morality if you like). If a person is unable to recognize a standard of "right and wrong," then yes, that person is "morally confused."

Answer 3

I just asked a question to do with this. Rumsfeld's philosophy Leo Strauss, a political philosopher who believes that when nations become rich and successful they go into decline through decadence. In order to combat this, a strong purpose has to be declared by government in order to rouse people from their self-indulgence. A destiny is chosen. In this case, it is for America to rid the world of 'evil'. For Rumsfeld, the world is divided into good and evil. America is good. Anyone against America must therefore be evil, therefore fair game. For him and the rest of the Neo-Cons, moral absolutism is the reality. You're either with him, in which case you are right and good, or against - wrong and evil. It's very simple. Funnily enough though, lying and manipulation is also fair game if you're on the right side - hence WMD lies etc.

The Neo-Cons have had their chips though. Their black/white worldview is totally deluded and more and more people are waking up to this as the situation in Iraq worsens.

Funnily enough, talking about confusion, Rumsfeld seems pretty confused himself at times: "..as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."

Answer 4

The government knows well how to manipulate thought. Ridicule and denounce your critics as mis-guided kooks, while painting your own assertions as common sense and benevolent. I believe it's called the Delta method of achieving consensus, or something like that. Bottom line is, truth and facts are absolutely irrelevant. Perception of truth is paramount and easily manipulated.

Answer 5

He could not help but make that statement.

You see, anyone who orders people to war, has to justify it somehow. When the results of your actions kills tens of thousands of people, men, women and children, you cannot accept that you might have been wrong and must smash any critizism.

If he were to actually realize morally wrong war is, he would curl up into a fetal ball and suck his thumb.

Answer 6

Of course he does.

There is no way he can accuse people of being actually or rationally confused. The facts are just so blatantly obvious that any 6-year-old can interpret them.

By saying "moral or intellectual confusion" he attacks people that come to a different rational conclusion than he does, and people who simply disagree with the ongoing efforts on principle.

It's a standard political tactic. If you can't justify your position on the merits, then just call your opponent "confused" and move on.

Answer 7

Was it out of line? YES...if you want to gain support for something don't go around calling the confused. At the same time I can say that we might be a little confused because I am sure that they have information that we don't. We only know what people want us to know....and who knows....but you do not say things in the way he said them....that is only going to make the support factor get even worse for them....

Answer 8

let's ask the morally bankrupt and hideously shrewd rummy to disclose how much money he made a few years back...making SURE north korea got nuke weapons...so we can watch him explain his own moral confusion.

dig for it, kids, and you'll find rummy is a very -yes, the word applies perfectly - EVIL little fraction of a man.

he's a complete and total traitor to this nation, and has committed war crimes for which we should be demanding he be punished. pronto.

Answer 9

I am no Bush supporter,

But I agree that most people in America right now are Morally confused.

Peace!

Answer 10

If your 54% number is correct (BTW, please cite your source) it only proves 1 of 2 things to me.

1. Most Americans are idiots.
2. Most Americans only get their news from CNN, NY Times, Washington Post, Yahoo News.