I don't have a problem with Rummy leaving, but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth because it appears that he's been dumped to placate the dems.
This was decided weeks ago.
Let the dems have the illusion that they forced him out. They will then overreach. When Gates reaches the same conclusions Rumsfeld did they'll have nowhere to go.
But that's not it; it's because his ability to run DOD is over. Beginning in January, he would have been spending 5 days a week on Capitol Hill being raked over the coals by various Senate and House committees.
And since he had to go, it had to be ASAP so Bush's new guy could be voted on by the still-Republican Senate.