Donald Rumsfeld and his panel buddies invoked the words "I don't recall" at least 82 times yesterday at the Pat Tillman death-by-friendly-fire hearing according to Dana Milbank in today's WaPo. Is he next going to say, I don't recall the great Baghdad Meet and Greet with his buddy Saddam Hussein pictured here?You've got to read Milbank's observations on Rumsfeld's arrogant answers to the legitimate questions being asked of him (while he imaptiently watched the clock so that he could get out of there to his lunch at the Mayflower). Here are s a few tidbits:
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who earned a reputation for obedience to Rumsfeld while serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined his former boss in memory loss with answers such as ""I do not recall this, nor does the secretary recall."The two men handled the questions about Tillman much as they did the questions about the Iraq war: no mistakes, no regrets, and no blame for what went wrong.
He made no overt effort to speak with the Tillman family members who sat a few rows behind him; as the room cleared at the end, Rumsfeld came within three feet of the late soldier's father but said only "Can we slip by?"
A few of the Republican lawmakers helped with the defense of Rumsfeld. John Mica (Fla.) called Rumsfeld a "hero" -- prompting Tillman's brother Kevin to crack his neck and look at the ceiling -- and likened Tillman's death to the traffic accident involving New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Chris Shays (Conn.) praised Rumsfeld for calling Democrats' "bluff" by showing up. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) joined in the defense -- but left hastily after receiving a few sharp words in private from Tillman's father.
Finally, Waxman attempted to summarize in a closing statement -- but Rumsfeld interrupted to clarify a point. "My testimony is that I do not recall," he reiterated. "I just simply do not know."
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