Posted on 11/09/2006 2:19:06 AM PST by John Carey
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the icon of the U.S. war on Islamic terrorists, succumbed to mounting pressure to resign, allowing the Bush administration to begin examining a new course on the bogged-down Iraq war where the American death toll exceeds 2,800. Appearing with President Bush at the White House yesterday, Mr. Rumsfeld referred to his many critics on Iraq by paraphrasing a hero, Winston Churchill: "I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof." He then talked of "this little understood, unfamiliar war," a conflict the Pentagon has dubbed "the long war" because of the time it will take to dismantle al Qaeda worldwide. "The first war of the 21st century is not well-known, it was not well-understood, it is complex for people to comprehend," he said. Mr. Bush, appearing the day after many Americans registered a protest vote against his Iraq policy, said, "As the secretary of defense, he has been dedicated to his mission, loyal to his president and devoted to the courageous men and women of our armed forces." He was flanked by his the defense secretary-designate, former CIA Director Robert M. Gates, who will take a fresh look at Iraq policy. White House press secretary Tony Snow told The Washington Times that Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld had been talking about future operations in Iraq for months, but he did not know who first raised the issue of the departure. "It wasn't like, 'come see the principal,' " Mr. Snow said, who noted Mr. Rumsfeld had offered twice to resign two years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I agree. It looked as though he got "taken out to the woodshed." To me, to dismiss Rummy at this time, looked like the most humiliating way to be "thrown overboard."
What a load of BS
Rummy leaving has nothing to do with being "thrown overboard" and everything to do what is best for the country in a time of war
But these 2 men are not stupid .. they know what a Dem control Congress means
Non stop hearings of dragging Rummy up to Capital Hill for PUBLIC hearings if he remained in office
I will miss Rummy and I'm sad to see him go .. but the Dems will make his life and ours a living nightmare if he stayed
Something our country doesn't need in a time of war
Try thinking outside of the box
Ditto's!
It is very clear to me why Rumsfield left when he did. He and Bush know what is in store for Rumsfield in 2007 when the Dems take control....endless hearings and second guessing. They also know that several Republicans(McCain among them) are no fan of Rumsfield. If they waited later when the Dems take power they can't get the votes for confirmation for the person they want. In addition, I bet Rumsfield had no desire to go through all the BS that lies ahead. It seems to me that this is an indication that Bush has no intention of "cut and run" but wants to spend time on conducting the war not not spend all the time in hearings. The decision on Rumsfield was made some time ago depending on the election results.
very funny very sarky, pity you got nothing real to say
Neither do you, at least I am Funny.
The Funny thing about all these armchair generals, they don't have to worry about the lives of the men under their command....
They don't have any.
Sorry if I annoyed you all, I have no care for politics only political policy that dictates out I myself and my men are used.
Will post again in say two or three months. My reserve duty will be over in March and then I will once more be a regular on FR.
Does that mean in three months you'll be able to tell us why Gates should resign?
I was just a lowly Sgt of Marines but even I know that no plan survives contact with the enemy. You roll with everything thrown at you until they stop throwing or you stop rolling.
"ALR: Political Jujitsu? I'm sorry Mr. Secretary but I don't follow you.
Rummy: Nobody saw this move coming yesterday. Nobody was prepared. It was a brilliant shifting of weight. Yesterday was supposed to be the Democrats big day. They were all going to wear new suits and dresses and give speeches congratulating themselves and talking about how they were going to fix the country. Instead all the news programs spent that time speaking about my resignation and today all the print media will be talking about me and my successor. The Democrats can't even complain because they have been practically begging for my resignation. By the time this dies down - nobody will want to look at their new suits or pretty dresses and they sure won't want to hear their flowery speeches because the time would have been well past that. The bonus is that the Main Stream Media doesn't even see how they were used. Brilliant move by the President."
Ah, and to think I lost faith there for a moment.
Arrrrgh I've been had ... that piece was satire. That said, as good satire must haveo, there is a large grain of truth therein and the quote I pulled certainly rings true. It has that Rovian twist to it and it certainly was the outcome.
carolyn
You're right. Grandpa wouldn't have fought with politically correct considerations in mind. Fallujah would have been salt.
I may over reacted, emotions have been running high here on FR and, I for one, tend to get overheated when members start tearing apart our party. It destroys unity when we need it the most.
Ok the roll with the punches thing my reply is grandmother and suck eggs like teach..
I am not sure if you grasp what my complaint with rummy is.
Here goes as a military man you will know all offensive actions break down into 5 phases. 1) Movement
2) Softening up
3) The Attack
4) Consolidation
5) Next phase
Whether you are taking a position or a country. Rumsfeld squashed all phase 4 planning. It being that we were to withdraw once Saddam was toppled the reason being that Iraq would welcome his demise and build a new democratic country.
This in my book was a major mistake. In any country yours or mine if you topple a system or a system breaks down as in Katrina you get a breakdown of law and order.
Iraq not the most stable country reacted the way intelligence predicted it would.
You also said no plan survives first contact with the enemy that is carved on my backside that is what contingency plans are for. Except we didn’t have a plan and we didn’t have a contingency plan.
We had a window of opportunity to put a phase 4 plan into action; I have had experience of phase 4 operations in both Bosnia Kosovo and Sierra Leone. One experience I have gained is work through the local police and Army units.
A major mistake was disarming all the Iraqi Army units many would have worked for us. Instead we disbanded them and many took there talents elsewhere.
Any civilians Phase 4 is
Pacification
Stabilisation
Normalisation
Will look in again next time i get PC time
Wolf, your service to your country is greatly appreciated, and your posts usually offer some valuable insights, but here you are just being plain silly and naive.
At those pay-grade levels, no one is intimidated, no one goes storming into the Oval Office (at least since the days of Hillary), and President Bush was certainly not "cowed" into submission, by anyone. He was, however, seduced, enticed, or just simply persuaded (slice it however you wish, the result is the same) to give the Colin Powell/State Department/CIA faction control over the post-Battle of Baghdad/toppling Saddam phase of operations.
The Big Lie of these discussions is that Rumsfeld and the DOD have been in complete charge of the "rebuilding phase" when in fact it was Colin Powell and the State Department faction which "persuaded" the President to follow and implement their suggestions. It is a cruel irony that at the very moment in the Summer of 2003 when our miltary was achieving one of its greatest triumphs, they were losing the political battle in the White House to the faction which opposed their being in Iraq in the first place.
The DOD's designated man, General Jay Garner, was abruptly booted-out, and Paul Bremer, a creature of the State Department, took over and directed the policy in Iraq. He had the President' ear, and had veto power over the military. Bremer was the one who pulled the plug on the First Battle of Fallujah. Bremer was also the one who publicy declared that "Mookie" Sadr would be arrested and brought to justice for the murder of Ayatollah al Khoi, and then cravenly backed-down, doing wonders for our credibility.
The bottom line is that at the levels of power where these people operate, they rarely throw tantrums, make threats or go storming around - they DO understand the ways of power. One of those they understand is that the "Decider", whether he be President, King, Emperor, First Party Secretary, or Ali Baba at the head of his band of thieves, is always vulnerable or susceptible not only to the logical arguments, but also the whispers, flattery, blandishments or innuendo he hears from the "trusted advisors" with whom he surrounds himself. Some leaders in history have been better able to resist these influences than others, but all leaders face it, including President Bush, and they either choose wisely, or not.
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