Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of Rummy

Donald Rumsfeld is shocked - SHOCKED - to discover that war causes lots of casualties.

"I certainly would not have estimated that we would have had the number of individuals lost that we have had lost in the last week," Rumsfeld said in answer to questions at the Pentagon on Thursday.

But, Donny, you always refused to make any estimates AT ALL. What number WOULD you havew estimated?

"What I said, I thought reasonably clearly, was that if, a year ago, you had asked me to describe where you would be on April 15, 2004, in Iraq ... I would not have described it precisely the way we are now," he said.

Well, well, well, isn't that interesting? And how would you have described it?

The American Flag all over the place, almost no resistance and everybody sitting around drinking beer in the Bagdhad Tiki Bar?

And they are extended the soldiers' tour of duty, which they said was going to be for twelve months by THREE MORE MONTHS.

And some of those poor soldiers had already left:

A few soldiers from the 1st Armored had already left. They will have to go back to Iraq, Army generals said.

How devastating must it be to morale to have thought you were going home - to have been on you way - and be called back?

Nice way to "support our troops," guys.

Rumsfeld sidestepped a question about whether a planned reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq would begin after the troops' 90-day extension ends, or whether others would have to be found from the severely stretched Army and Marine Corps to take their place.

"It depends on the facts on the ground," he said. "You can't predict the future, so why try?"

Donny? Your JOB is to try and your job was to try BEFORE YOU STARTED.

Senator Biden said it well:

"I fear this administration is far more worried about conceding mistakes than it is concerned about sticking to a failed policy," Biden said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "The hour for hubris and arrogance is long past. It's time for leadership."