Tuesday
May092006
Pentagon Update
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 3:00AM
By Wendy Wang
Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, opened the briefing with remarks on the necessity of the defense supplemental appropriations. From this morning's gaggle, we learned that of the $65 billion in the defense supplemental, $760 million was taken out that they want replaced. Of the total package, $5.9 billion will be for training and equipping. DOD argues that with increased Iraqi independence it is necessary not to back down from any part of
reconstruction.
The first question of the day pertained to troop draw-down. Rumsfeld says
that he still cannot anticipate when a drawdown would take place as the
Iraqi government is not stabilized. He will not set a deadline when it is
not apparent when the political infrastructure will be firmly in place.
CIA Director Nomination.
Asked to confirm claims that the Pentagon, he in particular, is trying to
seize more control over intelligence gathering and put CIA purviews under
the jurisdiction of the DOD, Rumsfeld chalks such talks as being overly
sensationalized. He called these talks "pedestrian." Instead of focusing
in on the greater issue of collecting intelligence, he accuses members of
the media of focusing capillary details, which alludes to conspiracies.
He claims that there is no disagreement within the departments (CIA, DNI,
FBI and DOD). In fact, he is in full agreement with Negroponte on his
view of the DOD. No single entity should be in charge of intelligence given the complexity. There is no power grab, there is no political fight. There is nothing that is done within DOD that hasn't been worked out, unilaterally with the other agencies. "There is no poewr play in Washington (D.C.)," Rumsfeld says.
Asked if he admitted that prewar intelligence to Iraq was flawed, Rumsfeld
admitted that the intelligence was flawed. In which case, how could he
trust that the intelligence he is receiving on Iran now is correct, and as
a consumer of intelligence, did he not have a high stake in the quality of
intelligence that he receives? Rumsfeld says that he absolutely believes
in the importance of intelligence but recognizes that it's a tough
business and that there will be flaws. It's tough to be right all the
time. Does the revelation of intelligence flaws give one pause, Rumsfeld
pontificates: "You bet!"
Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, opened the briefing with remarks on the necessity of the defense supplemental appropriations. From this morning's gaggle, we learned that of the $65 billion in the defense supplemental, $760 million was taken out that they want replaced. Of the total package, $5.9 billion will be for training and equipping. DOD argues that with increased Iraqi independence it is necessary not to back down from any part of
reconstruction.
The first question of the day pertained to troop draw-down. Rumsfeld says
that he still cannot anticipate when a drawdown would take place as the
Iraqi government is not stabilized. He will not set a deadline when it is
not apparent when the political infrastructure will be firmly in place.
CIA Director Nomination.
Asked to confirm claims that the Pentagon, he in particular, is trying to
seize more control over intelligence gathering and put CIA purviews under
the jurisdiction of the DOD, Rumsfeld chalks such talks as being overly
sensationalized. He called these talks "pedestrian." Instead of focusing
in on the greater issue of collecting intelligence, he accuses members of
the media of focusing capillary details, which alludes to conspiracies.
He claims that there is no disagreement within the departments (CIA, DNI,
FBI and DOD). In fact, he is in full agreement with Negroponte on his
view of the DOD. No single entity should be in charge of intelligence given the complexity. There is no power grab, there is no political fight. There is nothing that is done within DOD that hasn't been worked out, unilaterally with the other agencies. "There is no poewr play in Washington (D.C.)," Rumsfeld says.
Asked if he admitted that prewar intelligence to Iraq was flawed, Rumsfeld
admitted that the intelligence was flawed. In which case, how could he
trust that the intelligence he is receiving on Iran now is correct, and as
a consumer of intelligence, did he not have a high stake in the quality of
intelligence that he receives? Rumsfeld says that he absolutely believes
in the importance of intelligence but recognizes that it's a tough
business and that there will be flaws. It's tough to be right all the
time. Does the revelation of intelligence flaws give one pause, Rumsfeld
pontificates: "You bet!"
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