White House Disagrees With Rumsfeld Memo

WHITE HOUSE (AP) -- The White House is distancing itself from a memo written by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfled questioning the work ethic of Muslims.<br/><br/>In May 2004, then Defense Secretary

Thursday, November 1st 2007, 8:17 pm

By: News On 6

WHITE HOUSE (AP) -- The White House is distancing itself from a memo written by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfled questioning the work ethic of Muslims.

In May 2004, then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote that "oil wealth has made Muslims averse to physical labor."

Rumsfeld wrote that too often "Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed."

In one of several memos published by The Washington Post, he said "An unemployed population is easy to recruit to radicalism."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says Donald Rumsfeld's belief is "not at all in line with the president's views" and she understands why people are offended.

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations says Donald Rumsfeld's comment reflects the "stereotypical attitude" that led the U.S. to invade Iraq.