# Rumsfield claims a trained ape could manage war better than Obama **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547 "2014-03-25T19:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/141 "2014-03-27T16:45:38Z")
Dopers are fact geeks. The kind of people who see _1001 Obscure Facts That Nobody Knows or Cares About_ on the remainder table at the book store and can’t leave without buying it. Tell a Doper there are no poisonous mammals and the Doper says “\*Nunh-unh! \* Nancy Grace has boobies and is as venomous as a Gaboon Viper!”. The kind of people who change their views because they hate losing arguments. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/142 "2014-03-27T17:01:23Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Dopers are fact geeks. The kind of people who see _1001 Obscure Facts That Nobody Knows or Cares About_ on the remainder table at the book store and can’t leave without buying it. Tell a Doper there are no poisonous mammals and the Doper says “\*Nunh-unh! \* Nancy Grace has boobies and is as venomous as a Gaboon Viper!”. > > The kind of people who change their views because they hate losing arguments. Another cause of the Board’s liberal constituency, then. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/143 "2014-03-27T17:09:42Z")
“Constituency” is not the correct word, there, the more correct phrasing would be…hey, quit shoving!..Uncool, man!.. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/144 "2014-03-27T17:12:56Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > **Charlie/Lazlo** has only made one post since his last one in this thread. I wonder where he went? I’ll prepare some flowers. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/145 "2014-03-27T17:27:18Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Possibly. I think GWB increased the tilt. No doubt about it. And you guys did yourselves no favors by defending him pretty much all the way, from Florida to Iraq to New Orleans. > [@](#): > > The slightest perceived transgression from what the majority thinks as a reasonable right-leaning position gets shouted down by the mob. Could you rewrite that sentence? I’m not sure what you’re saying. I didn’t know positions could commit transgressions, for starters. > [@](#): > > Where as all manner of nonsense from the left gets a pass unless a conservative feels like wasting his time and calling them on it. Yeah, because I can take just about any absurd lefty position on gun control or Israel, to name a couple of issues, and nobody will call me on it. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > The current reality is that there exists a general hostility to conservative points of view. Like I said, conservatism has moved way to the right of where it used to be. Those positions that used to be lunatic fringe _by conservative standards_ because they weren’t defensible are now mainstream conservative positions, but they’re no more defensible as a result. > [@](#): > > What I don’t get is why so many posters seem to really want a circle jerk. Can you give for-instances? I don’t see a lot of this, myself. And I kinda relish a good argument with someone holding a different set of positions. Not to mention, with the center-left being a pretty big tent these days, you get a lot of debate between more centrist Dems and more lefty Dems. It’s not like the left has ever been particularly monolithic. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/146 "2014-03-27T17:30:02Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The slightest perceived transgression from what the majority thinks as a reasonable right-leaning position gets shouted down by the mob. Do you have any examples from the SDMB of reasonable right-leaning positions that have been “shouted down by the mob”? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/147 "2014-03-27T17:37:20Z")
The position he’s spent the most passion on has been that gay couples should not be entitled to be called “married”, since there might be some bad unforeseeable consequences from allowing the meaning of a word to continue to evolve, or something. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/148 "2014-03-27T17:41:05Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The current reality is that there exists a general hostility to conservative points of view. Is “the President is dumber than a trained ape, and so’s his wife” a point of view generally held by conservatives? Because that would explain much. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/149 "2014-03-27T17:43:32Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Do you have any examples from the SDMB of reasonable right-leaning positions that have been “shouted down by the mob”? I’m sure he’d like to offer some, but knows he’d then be shouted down by the mob. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/150 "2014-03-27T17:55:28Z")
> [@bob ducca](#): > > did you re-type marley’s entire post in order to quote it, but with different formatting? Is that something you do all the time (when you’re not banging underage retarded girls, of course)? > [@brainglutton](#): > > 😕 To me, the formatting in post #126 looks the same as in post #35. > [@bob ducca](#): > > could be a reason for that… Are you incapable of telling the difference between capital and lower case letters in the english alphabet? \<3 \<3 \<3 EDIT: Nope, it happens automatically if the part you wrote in your post does not contain any capital letters. For some reason, the software distinguishes what you wrote from the quotes for reading, but alters both what you wrote and the quotes. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/151 "2014-03-27T18:02:24Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Oh, you removed the poster’s name! So nobody would have any idea who you were quoting! Unless they were reading the thread, or scrolled up 4 posts to figure it out. It’s hard to play dumb when dumb is what you’re known for. Like it or not, those are the rules. Parodies to which no names are attached do not count. The rule against altering quotes only applies to quote tags with names. Giving **magellan** a warning is ridiculous, and actually makes me think that there may be some merit to what he says about the mods here. If this doesn’t get taken away, I think I’ll be lightening up on the guy since he’s clearly cannot fight back as well due to worrying about the mods making up crap to punish him. I mean, even if he had broken the rules, that sort of thing doesn’t receive a Warning, let alone one so pretentiously worded. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/152 "2014-03-27T18:03:20Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Dopers are fact geeks. The kind of people who see _1001 Obscure Facts That Nobody Knows or Cares About_ on the remainder table at the book store and can’t leave without buying it. Tell a Doper there are no poisonous mammals and the Doper says “\*Nunh-unh! \* Nancy Grace has boobies and is as venomous as a Gaboon Viper!”. Poisonous is not the same as venomous. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/153 "2014-03-27T18:08:24Z")
Cite that Nancy Grace is not a reptile? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/154 "2014-03-27T18:12:11Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Wait. I know the rule, which is why I removed the posters name from the quote box. How is that a violation? I even bolded the portion that I altered. I, uh… I agree with magellan. It doesn’t look to me as though it breaks the rule at all. He made it absolutely clear what he was doing, so he abided by the spirit of the law; and he removed the other person’s name, so he abided by the letter of the law. If this is not how the mods see the spirit or letter of the law, at most a mod note is in order, to clarify. A warning is inappropriate. Should there be an ATMB thread on this one? I’ll happily C&P over there as well. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/155 "2014-03-27T18:22:21Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Should there be an ATMB thread on this one? I’ll happily C&P over there as well. That might be a good idea, and especially because it comes from a disinterested bystander instead of **magellan01** (or me, although I don’t necessarily disagree with the interpretation of the rule.) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/156 "2014-03-27T18:27:44Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Dopers are fact geeks. The kind of people who see _1001 Obscure Facts That Nobody Knows or Cares About_ on the remainder table at the book store and can’t leave without buying it. Tell a Doper there are no poisonous mammals and the Doper says “\*Nunh-unh! \* Nancy Grace has boobies and is as venomous as a Gaboon Viper!”. > > The kind of people who change their views because they hate losing arguments. The male duck billed platypus has poisonous/venomous spurs on its hind legs. It is a mammal. The poison/venom distinction is somewhat recent in the language, within about the last quarter century. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/157 "2014-03-27T18:32:00Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Like it or not, those are the rules. Parodies to which no names are attached do not count. The rule against altering quotes only applies to quote tags with names. Giving **magellan** a warning is ridiculous, and actually makes me think that there may be some merit to what he says about the mods here. > > If this doesn’t get taken away, I think I’ll be lightening up on the guy since he’s clearly cannot fight back as well due to worrying about the mods making up crap to punish him. I mean, even if he had broken the rules, that sort of thing doesn’t receive a Warning, let alone one so pretentiously worded. You think it’s o.k. to fuck with a quote if you just remove a person’s name from it, even though it is easily identifiable? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/158 "2014-03-27T18:36:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You think it’s o.k. to fuck with a quote if you just remove a person’s name from it, even though it is easily identifiable? I think that the rule is bright line to avoid confusion. Removing the name, bolding the changed part, and declaring you’re “fixing” what was said makes it more than clear that you’re not attempting to put words in the other person’s mouth, so it doesn’t create the harm the rule is trying to avoid; and it falls on the safe side of the bright line, so it doesn’t violate the letter of the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/159 "2014-03-27T18:41:33Z")
I’m interpreting the rule as “Don’t screw with the contents of the quote box.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547/160 "2014-03-27T18:43:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > \<3 \<3 \<3 > > EDIT: Nope, it happens automatically if the part you wrote in your post does not contain any capital letters. For some reason, the software distinguishes what you wrote from the quotes for reading, but alters both what you wrote and the quotes. Wow, very interesting. Thanks for the tip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rumsfield-claims-a-trained-ape-could-manage-war-better-than-obama/684547.md?page=9)