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05/18/2004: "Leaked Rumsfeld Memo Revisited"

The gentle reader may recall the October 16, 2003 memo which got leaked to the press. As this contemporary USA Today article quotes Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas as saying, "[Sec. Rumsfeld is] asking the tough questions we all need to be asking." Sec. Rumsfeld asked a large series of questions, ending with:

What else should we be considering?

Please be prepared to discuss this at our meeting on Saturday or Monday.

Thanks.

I still believe that this is the right approach; it is a dynamic approach to a dynamic set of problems. So while the memo did not specifically address the Abu Ghraib scandal, I don't think anybody predicted the problems that were to come. But if one of his aides said, "we have some sadistic jailers in Iraq that could cause us problems if word leaks out," I do believe that Sec. Rumsfeld would have worked to minimize abuse.