Rummy needs to have his nap now, Georgie. He can't come out to play. Oh, and Georgie...you tell that Kerry boy to stay out of our yard until he learns to play nice.

Whopper of the Week: Rumsfeld
Who knew Saddam's troops would "blend into the countryside"?
By Timothy Noah
Posted Friday, August 29, 2003, at 7:59 AM PT

"Q: Senator Kerry this morning was talking about what he described as 'the lack of candor' and 'a lack of planning,' in the post-war in particular, that is now jeopardizing life, and he went on to say in his speech, which you undoubtedly heard part of, 'I want the burden taken off the soldiers as soon as possible.' Did the administration plan properly for post-war, and are you playing catch-up now? …

"A: First, out of respect for him, I didn't hear him. I don't know what he actually said, and I don't know the context of your comments. So I'd rather set aside any reference to him. …

—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a media availability at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio,Texas, Aug. 25, 2003.

"The dilemma that the country is facing right now, Afghanistan, is what should they do about their security situation. They have got Taliban and al Qaeda milling around, that have blended into the countryside [italics Chatterbox's], into the villages, across the borders and are ready to come back in in the event they feel they have the opportunity."

—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a town hall meeting at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Feb. 20, 2002.

Discussion. Some will argue that no one could have anticipated the similarities between the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. For those, Chatterbox's renames the rubric, "Déjà vu of the week."

(Thanks to reader Adam Engel.)