Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) accused Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of “presiding over a failed policy” in Iraq during a terse confrontation at an Aug. 3 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Clinton told Rumsfeld “You appeared before this committee and made many comments and presented many assurances that have, frankly, proven to be unfulfilled.” Clinton asked, “Why should we believe your assurances now?” to which Rumsfeld replied, “I have never painted a rosy picture.” To refute the Secretary’s claim, the senator released a statement, which lists Rumsfeld quotes from hearings and public interviews from 2002-06. There’s nothing like being a sitting duck.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.