Posted on 11/13/2004 5:28:32 AM PST by JustaCowgirl
WASHINGTON - Donald Rumsfeld is likely to remain at the Pentagon until the spring, enabling him to to stay in the administration through the Iraqi elections and advance his plans for transforming the American military, despite strong pressure from key White House political advisers for him to leave sooner.
According to well-placed Pentagon sources, Vice President Cheney has argued the case for Mr. Rumsfeld to remain as defense secretary until at least the spring, and Mr. Cheney would prefer that Mr. Rumsfeld stayed longer.
Karl Rove and other White House advisers, however, have maintained that Mr. Rumsfeld has become a political liability and will undermine possible improvement in relations between Washington and European allies, the sources said. "The White House political shop wants him out now," a senior Defense Department source said of Mr. Rumsfeld.
Much will depend on what happens with the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. Administration officials told The New York Sun that Ms. Rice, who spearheaded the White House's decision a year ago to take command from the Pentagon of the American occupation of Iraq, wants to replace Mr. Rumsfeld.
Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rumsfeld are old friends who served together in the Ford administration, and the vice president was instrumental in getting Mr. Rumsfeld appointed defense secretary in the first place.
---snip---
"No one is nudging Powell out at the moment," the Pentagon official said.
---snip----
Details of the behind-the-scenes tussle over who goes and who remains in Mr. Bush's second-term Cabinet are being closely watched by the foreign policy establishment in Washington for clues as to what the president intends to do overseas in the next four years.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
NOOOOO LEAVE RUMSFELD WHERE HE IS... SCREW OLD EUROPE.
I love Rummy. If they replace him, it should be with a warrior who understands the military.
Condi is hanging around because Bush has promised her the defense portfolio, I suspect.
She's too valuable to send back to Stanford. She has also figured out that it is better to command divisions than to command diplomats. As she has said, "Power matters."
Be Seeing You,
Chris
I don't know about Condi as SecDef, I'd actually rather see her infuse a badly-needed bit of steel spine over at State. She certainly wouldn't be a bad replacement when Rummy does leave, though.
If I remember correctly, Condi has no military experience. A question for the FReeper community--do you think it's better to have a SecDef with prior military experience, or does it really matter?
}:-)4
Translation: "The sources are Democrats in the State Department and this report should be treated as bald propaganda."
Rummy, no doubt, wants to go but has unfinished work in the "transformation" battle.
Sure...and by what reasoning process did 'they' arrive at that conclusion.
Pure dribble!
Rummy should stay, Powell out Condi in. Wolfi NSA
Replace him with the Marlboro Man from Iraq. No press conferences until every Islamic puke is pushin' up the poppies.
Yes, it matters....I cannot see Condi as Sec of Def.....Leave Rummy there....
"Karl Rove and other White House advisers, however, have maintained that Mr. Rumsfeld has become a political liability and will undermine possible improvement in relations between Washington and European allies, the sources said. "The White House political shop wants him out now," a senior Defense Department source said of Mr. Rumsfeld.
Who in their right mind gives a **it what old europe wants? Old europe will only be happy if we become like them. Nothing else will change their minds.
Kinda silly, if you ask me...nowhere in this article is President Bush even mentioned. Almost like he's irrelevant, while Dick, Condi, Karl and the rest of the kiddies play odd-man out.
Suuuuuuure I believe that.....
No, at this point it's not about politics anymore. It's about legacy and accomplishment. Rummy is just the ticket for same.
I hope you're right, Annie. I can't see Condi as Defense Secretary, but maybe I'm wrong.
Everyone screams "Soviet specialist!" when her name is mentioned. In fact, she worked at the Pentagon's nuclear targeting shop back in the 1980's. Men's Room in the Kremlin, that kind of thing. Rice comes from the "hard" side of the foreign policy business-she knows her bullets and beans, methinks. There is also something else: she is decisive. She makes decisions and sticks with them. She also keeps her mouth shut and doesn't leak to undermine the President. The last place you would want to put her would be at State, where the careerists and the Klinton Krowd have been working against this President for the past four years. The minute she got put in at State, the goobers would start undermining her through leaks, if only because Hillary would see to it that they did. At Defense, she can make visits to Iraq, fire people when necessary, and kick some butts when it needs be done. She can't do that at State-it's an adversary culture. Powell isn't lionized at State; he's tolerated.
Everything I know about Rice indicates that she can be absolutely ruthless when the need arises. Of course, she's also easy on the eyes, but that's just a side benefit.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
Unless the powers that be are intending to run Rice against Hellery and want to plump up her resume regarding the military, I see no advantage of replacing Rummy. Personally, I don't think that move would sit well with millions of conservatives. And if nothing else, the 2004 election should have shown the "moderate" Republicans that they cannot win elections without the conservatives.
"Kinda silly, if you ask me...nowhere in this article is President Bush even mentioned."
I think he is mentioned in the full article. The article required excerpting.
Rice would want the Secretary of State job. Lots of prestige. Kissinger and Powell both moved up from national security advisor status to Secretary of State. Kissinger held both positions at once, I believe.
Rice would be foolish to want the Secretary of Defense position. Besides, I want it.
As far as I am concerned they can get rid of Rove and keep Rumsfield.
I can xee right now what is developing:
This is a copy of 2000. Reach out to everyone that fought us and to hell with our base.
The more I see Rove work, the more I believe that he actually made the statement,"Where else will they go. They don't have nowhere else to go to but us." That was attributed to him.
It did not work in '04, it won't work in '06.
What it will do is make the Republican Party the minority party again and foer a long time in the future.
He must think that we are stupider tham the Democrats think the Blacks are.
We will see what unfolds but as it is happening, I am not opmistic about '06.
The Democrats, on the other hand, should be licking their chops with glee.
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