12 December 2004

Rumsfeld's fig leaf falling

The fig leaves are tumbling from the cover story Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave to a soldier's query on Wednesday about the lack of armored vehicles available in Iraq.

"It isn't a matter of money. It isn't a matter on the part of the Army of desire. It's a matter of production and capability of doing it," Rumsfeld answered when pressed on the armor question in Kuwait.

But that appears to be simply not true. Cox News Service reported Friday that both the company that makes Humvees for the military and the company that adds armor to the utility vehicles could make plenty more, if the Pentagon would ask them.

Also apparently not true are the assurances President Bush had given just the day before to families of Marine casualties during a visit to Camp Pendleton, Calif. "We're doing everything we possibly can to protect your loved ones..."

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