Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had a less than cordial interview with Al Jazeera reporter Abderrahim Foukara this week.
Do you think the numbers of US troops that you went into Iraq with did absolve you from the responsibility of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis killed by the coalition and those criminals you talked about? Foukara asked Rumsfeld. Give me a straight answer.
You can characterize my answers any way you want, Rumsfeld responded. And you do it in a pejorative way.
No, I do it respectfully, Foukara shot back.
No, you dont at all, Rumsfeld said. Obviously, you are of that nature. Its clear thats your being that you like to do that. Youre not being respectful, youre just talking.
This is worthless, he added, after Foukara defended himself and pressed for a response. This is not an interview, youre haranguing.