Posted on 12/17/2004 1:17:57 PM PST by Kaslin
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House gave a new vote of confidence on Friday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld amid growing criticism of him from members of President Bush (news - web sites)'s own Republican Party.
"Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a great job leading our efforts at the Department of Defense (news - web sites) to win the war on terrorism and to help bring about a free and peaceful Iraq (news - web sites), and the president is focused on working closely with him on those matters," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Rumsfeld has faced heavy criticism for not sending more troops to Iraq and failing to give them proper equipment. In recent days some prominent Republicans have questioned his performance.
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said in his home state of Mississippi on Wednesday: "I am not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think he listens to his uniformed officers."
Lott did not call for Rumsfeld's resignation but said, "I would like to see a change in that slot in the next year or so."
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a strong Bush supporter on the campaign trail this year despite past differences, got the latest round of criticism under way by saying he had no confidence in Rumsfeld.
Then a prominent moderate Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record) of Maine, was critical of the Pentagon (news - web sites) for insufficient armor protection for troops in Iraq.
Rumsfeld got himself into trouble last week by appearing to brush off a soldier headed to Iraq who complained that military vehicles did not have sufficient armor and troops were having to piece together scraps of metal for extra protection.
"As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time," Rumsfeld had told the soldier in Kuwait.
Little more than two weeks ago, Bush told Rumsfeld that he could stay on as defense secretary in the president's second term.
The thinking behind the decision was not to change leaders while the United States is at war, even though many in Washington blame Rumsfeld for failing to recognize and prepare for a determined Iraqi insurgency. More than 1,000 Americans have died in combat in Iraq.
McClellan said Rumsfeld was responding to troop concerns.
"Secretary Rumsfeld cares deeply about our men and women in uniform, and I think that is reflected by the way he goes and visits directly with those who serve, particularly those in combat zones, and he listens to those concerns, and that's what the president expects," McClellan said.
The Bush administration is preparing an emergency supplemental budget request for early in the new year that could seek as much as $75 billion to $100 billion for funding the U.S. military in Iraq.
Great!!! He needs to counter this vicious assault. The Republicans at times (in the senate and congress) don't seem to realize they won.
Glad to hear this! McCain, Biden, Hagel, Lott and Collins need to remember who is the President of the United States and remember their roles as Senators. Bunch of mealy-mouthed media whores!
And just think, were it not for the dummycrats, Lott would be the GOP Senate Leader. Sure makes you want to write a check to the GOP, doesn't it?
A shot across the bow of the big mouths, next comes a broadside if they don't heave to !!!!
Will he ever pry his lips off of the DNC Donkey's backside?
Lott was driven out of the Leadership by race pimps, and by gutless Republicans who would not stand up to them.
Bill Frist has done exactly nothing in his two years in the job, so I don't see how Lott could have done any worse.
That said, Lott is trashing Rumsfeld because the shipbuilders in Pascagoula see the handwriting on the wall.
Would those "gutless Republicans" include the President?
Well, Frist did tell Specter to shove it and toe the line...
http://www.neoperspectives.com/rumsfeld.htm
Rumsfeld Quotes for the Rumsfeld fans.
Yes. Not one of Bush's finer moments.
Did he? We'll see if it works any better than his "threats" to Democrats over judicial nominees. Those worked well, didn't they?
This is an out an out lie. They left out about 2 minutes of his response and focused on his finishing sentence.
Counting up the Rino's jumping on the bandwagon makes the Republicans majority in the Senate only a simple one 51 to 49.
I don't care if Cicero had been the Majority Leader; fact is, we only have nominal control of the Senate at the moment. 51 Senators, plus Zell, less the Maine gals and Chafee leaves us short of a majority. Come January 3, though, we'll have enough Senators that we won't have to rely on dubious allies like the aforementioned New England Senators.
Damn Sink, did you foreclose on TLB's keys to malcontency on FR, and have taken up the/his cause.
Anyway, whatever, it is never pretty when some weak kneed Senate Republicans cower in fear towards the NYT/Wash Post editorial morons.
Lott is upset because Rumsfeld didn't support more ship building in Miss.
I'm sorry, but Collins, McCain, and Lott are NOT members of Bush's own Republican Party.
They're RINOs at best.
I didn't like the way Lott was treated by fellow Republicans over the Strom Thurmond remarks. They were made just to make the old boy feel good, not due to any racism on Lott's part.
Republicans ran for the tall grass, rather than standing up to the race pimps, with Bush leading the way.
I have no particular love for Trent Lott, especially now that he's attacking Rumsfeld. I just thought hounding him from his leadership role was an excuse by Republicans to get rid of someone they saw as ineffective, so they could put someone else in (Frist) who has proven just as ineffective.
Of course it's a outright lie, but you didn't expect anything different from Rooters did you?
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