Rumsfeld blasts New York Times report

A New York Times article outlining U.S. plans for a long-term military presence in Iraq wins the “world-class thumbsucker” award of the year, according to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The secretary, apparently peeved by the report, blasted its writer and the paper in a rare assault before reporters assembled at today’s Pentagon press briefing.

“Let me just get this off my chest,” Rumsfeld said in response to a question about the article. “I have no idea who these people talked to. But I’ll tell you, if I were a journalist, I would … remember who they are, and I’d write their name down, and I would rank them right at the bottom in terms of reliability, credibility, judgment [and] knowledge.”

“The people peddling that stuff are wrong, and the people writing it should check things out better,” he added later.

Citing “senior Bush administration officials,” the Times reported that U.S. military planners were hoping to gain permanent access to as many as four military bases inside Iraq, which would project American power in the region much like the troops stationed in Germany, Japan and South Korea after earlier wars.

Such a move would fuel Arab suspicions that the war was launched in Iraq to increase American military and economic influence in the Middle East.

“The impression that’s left around the world is that we plan to occupy the country, we plan to use their bases over the long period of time, and it’s flat false,” said Rumsfeld. “Now, what is going on? There are four bases that the U.S. is using in that country to help bring in humanitarian assistance, to help provide for stability operations. And are they doing that? Sure. But does that have anything to do with the long term footprint? Not a whit.”

According to the Times, the bases would be located at the former Saddam International Airport outside Baghdad, at Tallil in the south, Bashur airfield in Kurdish-held north and an airfield in the western desert near Jordan known as H-1.

The paper said that at the very least, Pentagon officials want basing-rights for troops and aircraft to help the U.S. tackle future diplomatic – and possibly military – objectives in the war on terror as it relates to Syria and Iran.

“‘Project American influence into the heart of the unsettled region’ … not so! Not so!” said Rumsfeld quoting from the article. “There isn’t even an emerging government to plan [the footprint] with at the present time – one that would grant the Pentagon access to military bases.”