hmmm?

By now everyone has seen Rumsfeld's comments about how he is deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in "manipulating the media" to influence Westerners. See this if you haven't.

Let's examine the issue... The United States pretty much wrote the book on marketing. We have, arguably, THE experts in selling ice to Eskimos. Just what is he complaining about?

"The enemy is so much better at communicating," he added. "I wish we were better at countering that because the constant drumbeat of things they say - all of which are not true - is harmful. It's cumulative. And it does weaken people's will and lessen their determination, and raise questions in their minds as to whether the cost is worth it," he said alluding to Americans and other Westerners.

This line of reasoning approaches the bizarre. Or worse, it illustrates the lack of leadership exhibited by this administration. If Mr. Rumsfeld and/or President Bush can't get their story out, where does the fault lie? The MSM is certainly one culprit, but I don't think it is the only villain in the play.

It doesn't just make me sad... it makes me angry. I used to like Rummy, but this is just silly. The problem is that we don't need marketing gurus or word spinners, we simply need to tell the truth!

Rumsfeld is a master of nuance and maybe his words, in this case, have been taken out of context. But I suspect that's not the situation.

His reaction has a 'sour grapes' ring to it. Think about it - one of the most powerful people in the world is whining that the enemy doesn't play fair...