Rumsfeld’s Press Conference

What does it say about the current state of the U.S. media that one of the only times Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defence for a war that even conservatives must admit has been mismanaged and is facing severe resistance, is subject to sharp questions is when he addresses troops in the field? More than a little, I’d say.

Congratulations to people such as Specialist Thomas Wilson for doing the job the White House press corps has been unable, but more often unwilling, to do.

Specialist Thomas Wilson, a scout with a Tennessee National Guard unit set to roll into Iraq this week, was the first to step forward, saying that soldiers had had to scrounge through landfills here for pieces of rusty scrap metal and bulletproof glass - what they called "hillbilly armor" - to bolt to their trucks.

"Why don't we have those resources readily available to us?" Specialist Wilson asked Mr. Rumsfeld, drawing cheers and applause from many of the 2,300 soldiers assembled in a cavernous hangar here to meet the secretary.

A few minutes later, a soldier from the Idaho National Guard's 116th Armored Cavalry Brigade asked Mr. Rumsfeld what he and the Army were doing "to address shortages and antiquated equipment" that will affect National Guard soldiers heading to Iraq.

Mr. Rumsfeld seemed taken aback by the question and a murmur began spreading through the ranks before he silenced it. "Now, settle down, settle down," he said. "Hell, I'm an old man, it's early in the morning and I'm gathering my thoughts here."

Mr. Rumsfeld, 72, said all organizations had equipment, materials and spare parts of different vintages, but he expressed confidence that Army leaders were assigning the newest and best equipment to the troops headed for combat who needed it most. He said adding more armor to trucks and battle equipment did not make them impervious to enemy attack. "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can be blown up," he said. "And you can have an up-armored Humvee and it can be blown up."

….

But the complaints by the soldiers here are likely to revive accusations that the Bush administration did not anticipate the kind of tenacious insurgency confronting troops in Iraq, and that the Pentagon is still struggling to provide enough basic supplies, such as body armor, and fortified Humvees and other vehicles.

In October, an Army Reserve unit disobeyed orders to deliver fuel to a base in Iraq, complaining that its vehicles had not been properly outfitted. This month, the Army raised its goal for replacing regular Humvee utility vehicles in Iraq with armored versions, to 8,000 vehicles from 4,000. The soldiers' concerns may also rekindle suspicions among many National Guard and Reserve troops that they are receiving equipment that is inferior to what their active-duty counterparts get, despite assurances from senior Army officials that all Army troops are treated equitably.

These sorts of concerns shouldn’t have to be “rekindled” only when Rumsfeld is held accountable by troops in the field, and his glib answers to serious questions say an awful lot. Yet, he will remain part of Bush’s cabinet for the next four years.