Bush's top aide wanted Rumsfeld sacked

The Daily Telegraph ^ | October 2, 2006 | Damien McElroy

[Unicorn]

Powell is a liberal puke.

[Petronski]

Andrew Card said George W Bush rebuffed his and others' demands to sideline Mr Rumsfeld...

Don't presume this story is true. Card is on the Laura Ingraham show right now categorically denying this quote.

[Petronski]

To expand on the Card comments on Ingraham's show, he said he kept a "hit by a bus" notebook with a list of potential replacements for every White House job, including his own. Part of his job as Chief of Staff was to suggest personnel changes, and to be ready with a short list in case it was needed, but his suggestions were in the nature of "now might be a good time for this," NOT "c'mon, Mr. President, this guy's got to go," which is what Woodward seems to imply.

[cva66snipe]

"Under Rummy whom I served under during his first miserable tenure" So you were his military aide?

You know good and well what it meant. I was active duty military under Rummy. I saw the end of his tenure as Gerald Ford's Secretary of Defense and the conditions he left. I also served on active duty all of Carters term except for three months. Many Republicans like to use the term Hollow Carter Military but ignore the fact it was hollow when he took over.

[GVnana]

Yes. They should have.

Washington is a stinking hole of partisan backstabbing and over-paid, CYA bureaucrats who think they should run the country, make blood sport of "taking the big guy down," and want their names in books. Their cover is "free speech" and the "public's right to know". Neither the State Dept. nor the Pentagon are immune from the disease.

Add the artful Mr. Woodward. He wrote two very favorable books on the administration -- apparently just enough to gain false confidences. He frames his themes to boost book sales, and voila. The inevitable hit piece.

How some people manage to run a war, a state department, or the CIA for that matter, when you're plagued with the stupid and vainglorious is an amazement.

[joesbucks]

"I don't want to jeopardize my legacy" would probably be a good ballpark answer. Rumsfeld needed to be replaced with Card and Powell. The only reason not to do so, considering how poorly our efforts Iraq and Afghanistan are doing, is because of the fears that it would be seen as evidence that Iraq and Afghanistan aren't doing well. When your PR angle is 'The sun will come up tomorrow', it's downright dangerous to the message to make moves to the contrary.

Probably more on the money that you think.

[ElPatriota]

In a television interview, Mr Card revealed that he had kept a notebook while working as Mr Bush's top aide and noted on two separate occasions that he felt that the time was right to dismiss the sometimes abrasive Mr Rumsfeld...

Glad this a-- is gone, probably had something to do with Laura Bush going to the tv shows to cut us (non-Miers fans) down. I don't know whose idea was this exactly, but I believe he was still there when this took place. Whoever suggested it is an idiot.

[AmericaUnite]

Amazing that our President ever trusted this Card.

[Mo1]

Doesn't matter what Card thinks .. The President appoints his cabinet

But if this is true .. I am surprised Card would do this to the President

[verity]

Thank you for you opinion even though I reject it.

[verity]

"You know good and well what it meant."

Yes I did.

[RightWhale]

The local Boro Assembly has scheduled a special meeting on a resolution to recommend Rumsfeld be sacked. This is incredible that the local gov't, non-partisan by charter, has an interest in national politics.

[conservative blonde]

I thank Card for saying that Mrs. Bush had no part in trying to dismiss Rumsfeld and the Woodward book stated. That was a lie and it should have been exposed for the Woodward truth fantasy that it was..

[alnick]

Mr Card was forced to deny, however, that Laura Bush, the First Lady, had joined him in a campaign against Mr Rumsfeld.

Forced to deny? It makes it sound like he told that to Woodward and then was forced to deny it. I'd like to know if Woodward claims that Card told him that about Laura, because if he didn't get it from Card, that means that Woodward made it up.

[Inwoodian]

This is evidence of a strange Bush family disease. They put Liberal twerps like Card in positions of power only to see them squeal like pigs when the heat is turned up. He might as well just appoint Democrats and cut out the middle-man.

[xzins]

Separately, a new biography of Colin Powell, the former secretary of state, says that Mr Bush sacked the former general and bluntly rejected his analysis that the war in Iraq had become a failed project.

Powell, and this really surprised me, was a non-supporter of his president while still in office. This became evident in the case of Armitage (trage?) and Plame....as the details came out it appeared that Powell was probably playing political games.

He should have been sacked.

[ilovew]

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't everything else Woodward said completely and absolutely WRONG?! Why is everyone so eager to believe that he's telling the truth about Card but nothing else? I think FReepers are incredibly anxious to destroy Andy Card every chance they get and it's really pissing me off.

[Let's Roll]

Thank you!

I read more than one post citing Card's denial on FR this weekend but couldn't find them quickly.

[NordP]

I have an answer...a three letter answer.

Then, there's the embellishment to that answer...When you do the right things (as a person or a nation) for the right reasons, good things happen. Any other combo doesn't work.

I do believe the Dems double standards on many things lately are proving the second half of my answer ;-) too.

[ilovew]

Nope. Rummy is our best Secretary of Defense ever.