Rumsfeld; One cold M*therf*cker.

[mburbank]

The Associated Press


WASHINGTON - The Pentagon formally announced Thursday that it had stopped the planned return from Iraq of some 20,000 American troops, giving commanders the extra firepower they believe necessary to confront an insurgency that is taking a mounting toll on the U.S.-led coalition.

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The decision, announced by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after first being reported Wednesday, breaks a promise to soldiers who were assured when they arrived in Iraq that they would stay no more than one year. By extending their tours of duty by three months, the Pentagon is acknowledging that the insurgency has ruined its plans to reduce the size of the U.S. military presence this spring.

The troops had expected to return home this month after completing 12 months in Iraq.

“We regret having to extend those individuals,” Rumsfeld said, adding that the American public is grateful for their sacrifices. “What they’re doing is important. It’s noble work, and in the end it will be successful,” he said.

***

In his news conference Thursday, Rumsfeld, responding to a reporter's question about why more troops were needed when the situation in the south of Iraq had largely stabilized, said “the reason it is contained is because we have the extra troops there. That is self-evident. Come on, people are fungible. You can have them here or there.”


Main Entry: 2fungible
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin fungibilis, from Latin fungi to perform -- more at FUNCTION
1 : being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation <oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities>
2 : INTERCHANGEABLE

[KevinTheOmnivore]

You can take that to the bank.

[CastroMotorOil]

i personally love rumsfeld, regardless of politics, he is just badass sometimes....i wish it was a perfectly rigetous war as then he would be the coolest official since patton.

[mburbank]

I think there's a whole world between badass and sociopathic.

'fungible'. Honestly, can you see Patton saying 'fungible'?

That's the mark of someone who is cold, unfeeling, removed AND a complete snobby ass pussy as well.

'Fungible'. I'm sorry, I can take anyone in a fight who says 'fungible' and I'm not much younger than him and I'm in crappy shape. I'll fungible that evil old pansy. He's ULTRA brave when he can send a whole army of fungible little kids to do his dirty work. I'd like to kick his ass.

[Anonymouse]

Bumsfeld should be skinned or have pentagrams carved into his skin.

[Brandon]

Wait a minute here.

"Interchangeable" does not mean "expendable."

[Big Papa Goat]

Some died, so we can replace them and it will be just as good. I think thats what it means in this context.
Maybe it doesn't mean expendable, but its pretty badass nonetheless.

[Bobo Adobo]

Sociopath Nerd


Badass

[Ant10708]

I thought he was saying how easily they could be moved and switched...

[mburbank]

The point is that "Fungible" is a word used for raw material that can be moved around, reallocated, replaced, etc. One quantity can be replaced by another. Oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities.

I don't know if the deffinition actively excludes human beings, but it's certainly a novel use of the word and pretty revealing of the man who used it. I've never heard it used for living, breathing people before.

This isn't W. we're talking about. Rumsfeld knows the meanings of words. I'm not saying it was a deliberate choice, if he'd thought twice I'm certain he wouldn't have said it. I think it shows that he thinks of soldiers in the same way he thinks of oil, wheat and lumber. Raw materials.

If people are 'fungible' why the hell can't we put Rummy on the front lines?

[AChimp]

Well you see, Max, some people are more fungible than others...

[mburbank]

I'd also like to add that

Thinking you're a tough guy + using the word 'fungible' = egghead pussy.

[davinxtk]

I'd like to add that the word fungible is one of those words that sounds really really dirty, but isn't.

[AChimp]

FUNGIBLE PEOPLE

:dnd

[kellychaos]

What really irks me is that, as a military veteran, I've seen this attitude before and have a good idea of what he meant by the word whether he meant to come across that way or not. This is just my feeling, mind you, but what I think he meant by that is that the individuals serving in the military are property, or no more than a number on a status report. I've been to military briefings and I know that realistically, when dealing with a large number of people and resources, one has to maintain a kind of aloofness with the "assets". It still doesn't make the mindset any easier to deal with and it is a good insight into the way the man thinks whether intentional or not.

[ziggytrix]

Damn straight Kelly. When my uncle got sunburned on shore-leave he was fined for "destruction of government property".

Unless that was just a story my mom told me to keep me from going into a Navy nuclear program out of high school.