Posted on 11/08/2006 2:39:24 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
-SNIP-
But a source told NBC News’ military analyst Bill Arkin that prior to the election, Vice President Dick Cheney argued with other politicians over whether Rumsfeld should stay. White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and others said Rumsfeld should be removed, the source said. Both sides agreed the decision would be made after the election, when Bush would make the final call based on how Republicans did.
According to the source, Bush agreed Rumsfeld should be removed after seeing election results favoring Democrats. Cheney then lost another argument, protesting Gates’ nomination as Rumsfeld’s replacement.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
It's a new...sponsorship deal, yeah, that's the ticket.
"Stuff is going on that we won't know about until some book comes out down the road."
If you watched that disastrous press conference today, it was hard not to wonder what had him rattled so badly.
Why try to appease the Democrats? The party of Kennedy, Clinton, Kerry, Schumer. You can't make deals with people you can't trust.
He can quit if he wants......for health reasons if need be.
We lost the election because we are perceived to be losing the war in Iraq - I stress perceived. So somebody responsible for the Iraq war had to resign - it couldn't be Bush or Cheney so the next obvious candidate is Rumsfeld. Unfair maybe, but there it is.
I suspect he's done this in order to give the appearance of a 'fresh start' on Iraq with the voters - the dunces that didn't understand that the strategy was to constantly change strategy based on conditions on the ground, while keeping the goal of victory the same.
once again, I believe this is a move to appeal to the voting public, not Democrats.
Losing this election also gives the Republican nominee a better chance of winning in 2008. Democrats won't be able to deliver the miracles they been promising and hopefully their constant harping will tone down. Imagine if Republicans retained power, and this 6-year hatefest continued another 2 years. We'd have had this 2006 result in 2008, with the Republican presidential nominee losing.
Throwing people overboard is not going to enhance party credibility.
Rove can't even read a poll on iraq. Of the 60% who say they "oppose the iraq war" - 20pts of those are disaffected republicans who "oppose" the war BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE US WINNING. they don't oppose the war, they want to win it. The other 40pts, are the Dems who want to cut and run.
to hold 60% on iraq, we needed to pursue more acute use of military force to close out iraq. we entered the nation building phase too quickly.
They know they'd never get a vote to remove Bush and Cheney from office - like you said, the numbers just aren't there.
What they would try to do is put huge political pressure on the GOP to convince Bush and Cheney to resign "for the good of the country", ala Nixon and Watergate. And that would entail an all-out media blitz, complete with loaded polls, to herd the public into approving of impeachment and convincing them that it is inevitable.
It was political. I wish that it had been done six months ago.
If he had to be sacrificed at least then it would have lessened the inroads made by the Dems in the last election.
This way it is a wasted gesture that serves no one.
but how much can Cheney take? everyone has an "I'm fed up" point.
I like Cheney.
"This way it is a wasted gesture that serves no one."
I certainly agree, and it was just dumb this way, and on too many levels to enumerate. I am beside myself over all of this.
One of the things I like about him, he is what he is and he makes no appologies for it. I have a great deal of trust in him because he doesn't blow with the wind, but is the real deal.
Not wasting any time to get that camera time, after all '08 looms large.
Cabinet secretaries serve at the pleasure of the President, the Vice President is a constitutionally elected official.
The Senate confirms appointments, not the House and Bush might be able to push this through before the new Congress convenes.
Great job, Bill. The dems are going to force us to quit in Iraq with disasterous consequences, one way or the other. Why don't you just give them bipartisan cover for cut-and-run?
Make them do it themselves, for God's sake. Why can't R's ever see that when you lay down in the gutter, you come up with fleas--and the gutter blames you. I hate our Washington leadership.
I feel sorry for them too.
If President Bush thinks offering up Rumsfeld will satisfy the blood lust of the liberal Democrats and save his Presidency he is sadly mistaken. He had better be ready to offer up V.P. Cheney too and maybe more.
Yesterday we lost the House and before it is over with we may also lose the Senate. Today Rumsfeld resigns. Can't imagine how our brave troops feel right now. I know how I feel. Thanks voters for turning this country over to the Dims. Thanks for selling out our Military and our Country. For any of those that think we will turn this around in 2008, you are mistaken. The President will certainly get his amnesty now. The majority of those who become legal afterwards will become Dims because the Dims are now in a position to offer them whatever it takes to turn them to their side. Tuesday's results were not a spanking for the GOP. It was a complete A@@whipping. I suspect that anyone over 40 years old will not live to see the House back in Republican control.
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