did Rumsfeld get mad & cut short the Pentagon's budget hearings yesterday?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

did he "cut short the meeting by storming out of the meeting in a huff"or did i hear the talking head wrong?....can anyone fill me in?

[Rose Siding]

1. Milbank did a good write-up of the hearing

Here's a link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30800-2005Feb16.html

[whistle]

2. Rumsfeld has done this a number of times, or has at least....

...shown impatience by checking his watch and telling the hearing members he had more pressing things to do. I forget at which televised hearing he did that, but I distinctly remember watching this show and wondering why the hearing chair didn't gavel Rummy back into line and tell him he was to stay put and could go when he had answered all of the questions. Does anyone recall that incident?

[Rose Siding]

4. Not specifically- but he outdid himself yesterday

some snips beyond his cutting the time short>

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) then complained about long-term Army expenses being included in an emergency spending package. Rumsfeld said the matter "really is beyond my pay grade." When Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) observed that there are few positions beyond Rumsfeld's pay grade, Rumsfeld retorted: "Senator, I thought Congress was Article 1 of the Constitution."
...
Rumsfeld responded to Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) as he often scolds journalists: "You had so many questions there. Now let me see if I can pull out another one." As the exchange with Forbes continued, Rumsfeld requested: "Could you speak up a little bit?"
...
Rumsfeld seemed to be spoiling for a fight from the start, when in his opening statement he implicitly chided Congress for "an increasingly casual regard for the protection of classified documents and information."

When the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.), asked about the number of insurgents in Iraq, the secretary said, "I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work." (He presumably meant to say "intelligence.") Ultimately, Rumsfeld admitted he had estimates at his fingertips. "I've got two in front of me," he said.

[whistle]

7. What a snot Rumsfeld is, doesn't this behavior show....

... insubordination and grounds for the president to fire him? Certainly congress should be able to impeach that SOB.

[cliss]

9. I've watched the old coot on a televised

Congressional hearing. He makes it very clear that he doesn't have time for irritating questions. RumsFailed usually starts out pretty good, but after about 1/2 hour, when the questions start to become too invasive (like, what about results, Mr. RumsFool?), or when the issue of money comes up, or time frames, or measures of success, or what our plans are, he balks.

He becomes very irritated and almost seems panicky. You can tell that it takes great effort on his part to not blow his top.

RumsFoiled also adds in weird filler words like, "Goodnes, gosh golly, Heavens to Mergutroid", when he'd really like to jump up and smash the Senator in the mouth.

Of course, we all realize that it's embarrassing to have to explain failures without end, poor judgement & poor planning, poor execution of crappy plans. So when we see him squirm and bolt for the door, we know it's all about....

RumsFinished.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. damn...i'm not registered...can you post some of the article, please?

[Rose Siding]

5. some in post #4

I don't like to register either but the Post and the NYT are worth it.

Here's the beginning:

Two dozen members of the House Armed Services Committee had not yet had their turn to question Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at yesterday's hearings when he decided he had had enough.

At 12:54, he announced that at 1 p.m. he would be taking a break and then going to another hearing in the Senate. "We're going to have to get out and get lunch and get over there," he said. When the questioning continued for four more minutes, Rumsfeld picked up his briefcase and began to pack up his papers.
..........

There are some other cuts in post 4

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. thank you so much...i guess i did hear correctly then...rummy ran away....

but was ordered back today to continue

[Rose Siding]

8. Who ordered him back?

CAN they order him back? Is he there now?

[StJohnsVI]

10. Day #2 is today.