[mburbank]

It's what we call sarcasm.

Rumsfelds statement is ridiculous. He has no way of knowing what civillian casualties will be like. It's lip service to the idea that there isn't much collateral damage when the US wages war, and since our official policy is not to release a civillian death toll, it's nonsense.

And what's that "Not by US forces" shit supposed to mean? Does thuis mean the Iraqi forces have carte blanche to kill civillians?

I think it's more likely Rummy hasd already defined 'civillians' for himself as people who have already left Fallujah and everyone remaining there as 'combatants', which is all fine as far as Clintonian Sophistry goes, but renders the statement pointless, like saying "No giraffes will be killed in the assault on Fallujah."