Posted on 11/08/2006 10:27:18 AM PST by Dark Skies
WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is stepping down and former CIA Director Robert Gates will take over at the Pentagon and in prosecuting the war in Iraq.
Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
BS. That was MSM/Dem propaganda. SECDEF works for the President. He doesn't do anything the President doesn't want and he certainly does not have the final say on how the war is waged. Rumsfeld is a manufactured scapegoat. Congress, Reps and Dems alike, didn't like the fact that Rumsfeld didn't suffer fools gladly. He didn't sit meekly by and let them make outrageous, untrue statements. I am sorry to see him go. He was Bush's best cabinet appointment.
They've also been poor at presenting the successes we've had in Iraq and Afghanistan, and defensive on issues such as NSA wiretaps, Gitmo, etc. where they should have been much better at taking charge on such issues.
Unfortunately, the 'face' of the fight in Iraq has devolved into the simple statement 'we must stay the course'. Well, the 'course' has become so muddled as to be indefinable at this time. And that has to do more with dysfunctional administration talking points than with the face of 'Rummy'.
Tell me this is an editorial.
Otherwise, it should be Rumsfeld, architect of a wildly successful war in Iraq....
I have obviously always known he was not elected becasue of his great ability to make a speech BUT it is for that very reason why he should hang low today rather than putting his foot in his mouth at every breath.
2000? Bush wasn't even elected then!
Doubtful.
Rumsfeld's exit was probably planned before the election, but delayed to avoid the appearance of cowering to the dems and giving them power before the earned it.
Rummy is a great American.
Yes, it is the timing that makes it look so unseemly, disloyal and....weak. In the end, it may all work out just fine, of course. I guess we will find out.
Exactly. I like the guy, but if a football coach isn't winning, he is fired and a new coach is put in. It's not an indication of their overall competance either. Sometimes losing coaches find success on other teams (Pete Carroll). If Rumsfeld was replaced 10 months ago, and troops were given permission to hammer the insurgency, then we'd be better off.
I think Rumsfeld resigned on his own. He got up every day and worked as hard as he could for his country, and everyday he was called a war criminal. That's bad enough, but when the people you are protecting go out and vote for the vermin who are calling you a war criminal, that's too much. I would say let someone else have the job, the same as he did.
I agree with you on this. Bush should have fired Rummy a long time ago. It is the reason the Republicans lost so mightily!
Oh well, too late now.
Maybe Bush needs to step down and we stick these liberals with Cheney...wouldn't that be fun?
Before someone jumps on me: "the Cheney" was a cut-and-paste error, should be just "Cheney".
Well he can't be fired. He can be impeached but not tossed under a bus like Rummy.
"Wildly successful" war? For whom? Iran? Al Sadr? I'm assuming this was a joke.
No kidding! Timing is everything.
2000=2004
"I am not worrying about impeachment."
You know, for a board that is supposed to be full of people who follow politics, the hysteria is almost funny.
Step back, take a breath, and think: These are all POLITICIANS. They all work for the same people... lobbyists. The Dems just want a bigger slice of the pie. If they aggressively attack, then they can expect retribution, and I would dare say, very few of them don't have some serious dirty laundry they'd rather not have aired. I saw Pelosi already softening her tone.
The Dems were like the guy who wanted to fight when there were 10 people between the combatants. Now it's face to face... they don't want to get bloody.
The Dems will make noises about investigations to play to the moonbat base. Then they'll claim no concrete evidence, and drop it. Then they'll all go back to what they do best, Republicans and Democrats, figuring out how best to increase their personal wealth and how best to stay in office.
hillary: "Mr. Gates, being Secretary of Defense is very important, but the major issue here is as follows: what is your stand on abortion?"
feinstian: "Mr. Gates, do you believe every woman has the right to choose whether she wants to abort her baby?"
schummer: "Mr. Gates, I have not yet decided whether I will vote to confirm you. Therefore, I want to ask you a simple question. It doesn't really mean anything (snicker, snicker, snicker), but what do you think about abortion?"
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