Once Upon A Time

The buck stopped somewhere, obviously that was a Democratic government.

Meet the Secretary of Serenity: "'I kind of would prefer to let a little time walk over it,' he said when asked about the generals' gripes.

A questioner asked about the 'great deal of dissatisfaction' with him in the military. 'There are always differences of opinion,' Rumsfeld answered mildly.

How come he offered to resign in the past but not now? 'Oh,' the secretary said sweetly, 'just call it idiosyncratic.'

CNN's Jamie McIntyre tried harder to provoke Rumsfeld. 'How much do you think this is about your management style?'

'No idea,' the unflappable one replied.

'Well, quick follow-up: To the charge that you're arrogant and autocratic --'

'I said I have no idea,' Rumsfeld interrupted.

'Are you arrogant and autocratic?' McIntyre demanded.

'You know me,' the possum parried.

Rumsfeld could maintain this out-of-character calm ('There are no indispensable men,' he said when asked about a possible resignation) in part because he was standing at the lectern with Peter Pace, who is usually chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but was moonlighting yesterday as Rumsfeld's PR guy."

They teach that stuff at West Point? No wonder we're losing in Iraq. Strategy, planning, long supply lines and honor don't seem to be on the curriculum anymore, or you have the option to choose to be a figurehead instead of a leader.

A little bit of power goes straight to the head, as we used to say when I was in the Army and unqualified people were promoted one step too many. Does Joss Whedon know about this new title?

Tags: Serenity, Joss Whedon, Truman, poor prior planning