Forget About It!

By Dana Milbank
Thursday, August 2, 2007; A02

Retirement has been hard on Donald Rumsfeld.

The former secretary of defense, famous for his attention to detail, returned to testify yesterday about the "friendly fire" death of football star Pat Tillman and an alleged coverup. But Rumsfeld displayed an alarming decline in his mental faculties and couldn't remember a thing about the incident.

"How and when did you learn that Corporal Tillman had been killed?" asked Tom Davis (Va.), the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"I don't recall precisely," Rumsfeld replied.

"Do you remember when you learned that this was a possible fratricide?"

"Well, I don't remember," Rumsfeld answered. "What I have been told subsequently is that there was a person in the room when I was who says I was told."

"Did you decide you needed to tell somebody else about this?"

Rumsfeld raised his palms in a shrug. "I don't recall when I was told, and I don't recall who told me."

No fewer than 82 times during the three-hour hearing, Rumsfeld and his former military colleagues were heard to utter "I can't recall," "I don't remember," "I don't know" or a variation of these. So forgetful was Rumsfeld that he repeatedly neglected to turn on his microphone before speaking, requiring frequent reminders from the panel.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who earned a reputation for obedience to Rumsfeld while serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined his former boss in memory loss with answers such as ""I do not recall this, nor does the secretary recall."

The two men handled the questions about Tillman much as they did the questions about the Iraq war: no mistakes, no regrets, and no blame for what went wrong.

Rumsfeld, tanned and fit, slouched in his chair as he endured the proceedings. He glanced several times at a clock on the wall and was overheard saying he had a lunch at the Mayflower. He made no overt effort to speak with the Tillman family members who sat a few rows behind him; as the room cleared at the end, Rumsfeld came within three feet of the late soldier's father but said only "Can we slip by?"

The forcibly retired secretary treated lawmakers to his legendary disdain. He cut off a question by John Tierney (D-Mass.) with a sharp "Just a second, please" and treated John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) to a trademark "Oh, goodness." Rummy complained about one of the committee's charts ("I couldn't read any of it") and chopped the air as he told Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) "you have not a scrap of evidence" to prove a coverup.

Actually, the committee found that an eyewitness account of fratricide was altered, but Myers joined his old boss in concluding otherwise. "I would agree totally with Secretary Rumsfeld," he said.

The pair dropped excuses like cluster bombs. Rumsfeld pointed out that "it's not possible for someone to know all the things that are going on" in the Pentagon. Myers asserted that "this is the responsibility of the United States Army, not the office of the chairman."

A few of the Republican lawmakers helped with the defense of Rumsfeld. John Mica (Fla.) called Rumsfeld a "hero" -- prompting Tillman's brother Kevin to crack his neck and look at the ceiling -- and likened Tillman's death to the traffic accident involving New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Chris Shays (Conn.) praised Rumsfeld for calling Democrats' "bluff" by showing up. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) joined in the defense -- but left hastily after receiving a few sharp words in private from Tillman's father.

Rumsfeld, in his opening statement, spoke of his memory loss as if describing somebody else. "I am told that I received word of this development sometime after May 20, 2004," he told the committee.

Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) probed the memory of Myers, who admitted "no recall" of how he learned about the fratricide. "I don't know how I knew it," he said.

Next, Davis attempted to plumb Rumsfeld's knowledge, but he drew only blanks: "I have no recollection. . . . I don't have any recollection. . . . I don't recall. . . . I just don't have any recollection. . . . I simply don't recollect. . . . I don't remember."

Diane Watson (D-Calif.) pointed out that "quite frequently you have said 'I don't recall' " -- then asked Rumsfeld a question about what the Tillman family was told.

"I have no recollection," he answered.

John McHugh (R-N.Y.) asked Rumsfeld about military memos called "P4s."

"I just don't recall them," Rumsfeld said.

William Clay (D-Mo.) tried a pop quiz: "Who officially awarded the Silver Star to Corporal Tillman?"

"I have no idea," Rumsfeld replied.

"The answer is President Bush," Clay disclosed.

Kucinich asked about PR meetings with the White House about Tillman. "I can say without qualification that I can't recall ever having a discussion," Rumsfeld recalled.

Danny Davis (D-Ill.) showed Rumsfeld an e-mail between Pentagon and White House press officials about Tillman. "I don't know anything about it," he replied.

Finally, Waxman attempted to summarize in a closing statement -- but Rumsfeld interrupted to clarify a point. "My testimony is that I do not recall," he reiterated. "I just simply do not know."

On that point, Rumsfeld was unforgettable.