Rumsfeld Plays QDR Dodge Ball: The left hand and the right hand need to get together. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was playing dodge ’em with reporters over the QDR, while his henchmen were giving background interviews. But, Rumsfeld would not budge off his “wait till it’s released stance at the Jan. 25 Pentagon press briefing. Still, a persistent reporter tried—about eight times—to ask a question based on the latest draft, only to be treated to the full Rummy square dance. At one point, Rumsfeld asks, “Do you believe every draft you see?” The plucky—though possibly ill-advised reporter—replied: “The later ones I do, especially if they come off your desk.” Ouch.
President Joe Biden still hopes to shift to a “sole purpose” policy for nuclear weapons in the future, even as his administration’s new Nuclear Posture Review preserves the U.S.’s longstanding policy of “flexible deterrence,” a top Pentagon official said. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, speaking at a side…