I love Rummy!

Someone sent this e-mail to NRO's Jonah Goldberg. I think it is awesome, so here you go.

From a reader:

Here's a totally unrelated question, perhaps someone on the Corner (Jonah, Derb?) might be interested in answering?

At yesterday's Pentagon press conference, Secretary Rumsfeld was commenting on all the doom and gloom about the Iraqi constitution, and he observed how there are always naysayers who see defeat around every corner. He said something like, "At the height of World War II, a prominent American diplomat predicted that 'democracy is finished in Britan, and probably in America too.'"

That "prominent America diplomat," of course was Joseph Kennedy. Isn't that just about the most delightful statement to come out of a press conference in the last six months? Somebody go down to the bar and tell Teddy: "Rumsfeld just slapped down you and your old man in the same breath."

It truly is fun to watch a master at work.

I love that last part, about Teddy Kennedy.

Here are Rummy's exact words and a bit more great stuff:

Throughout history there have always been those who predict America's failure just around every corner. At the height of World War II, a prominent U.S. diplomat predicted that democracy was finished in Britain and probably in America too. Many Western intellectuals praised Stalin during that period. For a time, Communism was very much in vogue. It was called Euro-Communism to try to mute or mask the totalitarian core. And thankfully, the American people are better centered. They ultimately come to the right decisions on big issues. And the future of Iraq is a very big issue. So those being tossed about by the winds of concern should recall that Americans are a tough lot and will see their commitments through.

You can find the complete press briefing here.