Video: Rumsfeld’s farewell; Update: Cheney wanted Rumsfeld to stay?
posted at 4:24 pm on November 8, 2006 by Allahpundit
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“WHY IN GOD’S NAME DIDN’T YOU DO IT BEFORE THE ELECTION!”
Oh well. If Arabs were happy this morning, think how excited they’ll be tonight. Should be a humdinger of a confirmation hearing, too.
Update: Captain Ed questions the timing and the sanity:
However, the timing of this move seems ludicrous. Just two weeks ago, Bush riled up the electorate by pledging unwavering support for Rumsfeld for the next two years. I’m sure that a number of Republican politicians who find themselves out of a job wonder why this decision didn’t get made two months ago, and why Bush had to issue that unhelpful statement in the midst of the midterm struggles. Obviously, Bush can live without Rumsfeld, and obviously the White House now understands the drag that Rumsfeld had on the GOP. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be out today. Why didn’t anyone at the White House figure this out two or three months ago, when the transition to Gates could have demonstrated a little more flexibility on Iraq?
Yeah, I don’t get it. Forcing Rumsfeld out the day after a Democratic sweep only confirms suspicions that the war is being run as a function of domestic politics. They could have avoided that by canning him two months ago or two months from now, but to do it the day after you’ve lost an election is an admission that they knew he wasn’t the right guy for the job but stuck with him until they were forced to send him packing or that they believe he is the right guy for the job but aren’t willing to stick by him now that the blue wave has broken.
Bad news either way.
Update: Sounds like the biggest loser last night was Cheney:
[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.
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Why don’t you just shoot me now?
seejanemom on November 8, 2006 at 4:28 PM
When I had a great Q&A session with Rummy in September, he was SO INSPIRING, but you could see the deep spiritual exhaustion in his eyes. Always the professional, he was brilliant to do this now, if you think about it. A gentleman always knows when its time to leave.
seejanemom on November 8, 2006 at 4:30 PM
That was sad. He reminds me of my grandpa. I wish I could give him a hug.
tikvah on November 8, 2006 at 4:31 PM
Your grandpa scares me, tikvah.
I think of grandpa’s and I think of jolly old men with a twinkle in their eye, and pocket full of treats.
Good times.
I think of Rumsfeld and I think of smart bombs and airstrikes on Zarqawi.
Good times.
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 4:35 PM
A bit of trivia. He was the youngest and the oldest man ever to serve as Secretary of Defense.
RedWinged Blackbird on November 8, 2006 at 4:41 PM
Imagine.
When he dies, we’ll eulogize him much like Reagan.
And it will piss off the left to no end.
8)
urbancenturion on November 8, 2006 at 4:41 PM
This is a pre-emptive strike against Democrat control of Congress and the hilarity that will ensue e.g. impeachment, witch hunts, policy altering-because-they-can Democrat fun.
Personally I believe Bush botched Iraq by not asserting his authority over Rumsfeld/the generals claims that things are all rosie three years later despite the reality that restraint is not how you win the Peace after any conflict.
Case in point: leaving Al Sadr alive and kicking, able to cause trouble months (years) later) in the Sunni triangle. They tried very hard to take out Zarqauwi after they realized “better dead and martyred then left in charge of militias free to cause more chaos and American deaths and negative media attacks.”
Neo on November 8, 2006 at 4:53 PM
if i have to hear one more freakin liberal go around gloating about that i will hurt someone
Defector01 on November 8, 2006 at 4:58 PM
Rumsfeld was revolutionary in redesign of our arm forces to be efficient and mobile. He should be considered one of the great Sec of Defenses in modern history.
Afghanistan and Iraq militarily were the most dominated theaters of war in human history. Imagine…with a force of over 450,000 troops, the Russians couldn’t take Afghanistan in 8 years. Yet with Rumsfeld leadership and 8000 special forces, they took it in 3 weeks.
Though Iraq is a quagmire, and we are bogged down, Militarily Rumsfeld will go down as the professor on how to wage effective war.
msipes on November 8, 2006 at 4:59 PM
Shorter take on the timing. heh.
see-dubya on November 8, 2006 at 5:06 PM
He is brilliant, dedicated, loyal, and clear about what he thinks and does. I have more respect for Rumsfeld than for anyone around him.
His dual role was to “transform the military” and defend the country. When we were attacked, he was charged with doing both while conducting a war against suicidal religious fanatics in an occupied country.
We routinely read criticism from left and right that we would have had fewer casualties if we had only put more troops in Iraq. But if we had 400,000 troops in Iraq, the left would be screaming about that, and everything else. And the middle east experts tell us that if we had Iraq completely under our thumb, there would be no way to get the Iraqis to train for their own defense, which was the plan all along.
I believe that what is happening in Iraq is happening by plan, to a certain degree. And his troops seem to love him.
Jaibones on November 8, 2006 at 5:07 PM
Why don’t conservatives get it? Last night we LOST!
We’ve just lost the war against terrorism, we’ve lost the battle of conservative values, we’ve lost the Illegal Immigration battle, our Heroes just lost their support base, and Hitlary got a HUGE push towards the White house.
Conservatives had already won by getting their message received by the GOP and the White House when the polls showed that we were not happy, but by staying home on Election Day we gave the liberals everything that we’ve fought against for over 12 years.
Alot of great conservatives worked at the grass roots level to energize the base, and the message they received was screw you! Well, good luck in getting those hard working conservatives back to assist in the 08 elections. Maybe the stay at home conservatives will offer to volunteer, but I doubt it. :oP
Hilary in 08!
DannoJyd on November 8, 2006 at 5:14 PM
Rumsfeld did a great job with the military he inherited, (sized down from 1,000,000 active duty to 600,000 by Clinton, who said we no longer need so many active duty troops and called it a “peace dividend”).
I feel very letdown by President Bush. Again he couldn’t even get himself to say who we’re at war with. Still says it’s “a war on terror”…
I wish he would have named Rick Santorum to be Sec of Defense, at least he calls it a war against “Radical Islam” or “Islamofacists”.
Then Robert Gates spoke and he called it a “war with terror”.
We’re in trouble…
ps - and there’s no way Gates will be half as fiesty and blunt with the media. Rumsfeld will be missed.
flagwaver on November 8, 2006 at 5:15 PM
I take it from this that you would have recomended the Colin Powell style resignation after 2004.
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 5:16 PM
Maybe it was a deal with the Dems to avoid impeachement procedures.. who knows?
GoodBoy on November 8, 2006 at 5:17 PM
I admit I was drunk on Rummy for a long time and I am sad to see him go. Not because he is leaving, but because he is not leaving on top. I wish he could be more Tiki Barber and less Michael Jordon.
liberrocky on November 8, 2006 at 5:17 PM
AP,
We want happy news! Post some happy news! Make it up if you have to!
frankj on November 8, 2006 at 5:18 PM
Rumsfeld resigning is proof that the message of the liberal party has gained relevance due to the conservatives who decided to not vote.
The meassage is clear. Bush will cave to liberal ideology.
Hilary in 08.
DannoJyd on November 8, 2006 at 5:21 PM
Flagwaver,
What on earth would Rick Santorum know about being Secretary of Defense? And how — exactly — would Santorum be “feisty and blunt with the media” when we couldn’t get him to endorse a conservative in the primary against the worthless Arlen Specter?
Jaibones on November 8, 2006 at 5:22 PM
We won! We won! The S.O.D. is done! Ahhhh, sweet victory. We got the house. Yay! We’re gonna get the Senate. Yay! Rummie is out. Yay! Attention all conservatives: Hang on for dear life ’cause we’re gonna screw up your plans for a New Religious Order. Say hello to gay marriage, goodbye to border security. Say hello to higher taxes, goodbye to the war in Iraq. You think cut and run seemed bad? Just wait ’till you see what we have in store. This is gonna be fun. If the mood at Fox News is any indication of how depressed conservatives are, I am going to be doing a little dance for a looooong time. I don’t know that I am going to need to come to HotAir any more, because there won’t be a whole lot to get me down. Hmph. I need a nap. All this celebration has got me tired. Bye bye, folks. Enjoy the next couple of years.
shackler on November 8, 2006 at 5:25 PM
I just don’t the kids at Texas A&M are as radical as the jihadists. Robert Gates does have excellent credentials but he is no Rumsfeld. I would personally like to thank Mr. Rumsfeld for his service to our county and his loyalty during a very difficult time of our lives. I will never forget his actions when the Pentagon was hit. He is great American. I will miss his entertaining pressers. God speed, Don Rumsfeld.
d1carter on November 8, 2006 at 5:26 PM
frankj, don’t you get it yet? Conservatives Lost Badly in last nights elections, and Bush WILL cave in to their demands. Yes, the stay at home conservatives just handed liberals the ability to
ignorefightremove the conservative values that we tried so hard to keep alive.BTW, if you cannot yet speak Spanish you will soon be forced to do so.
DannoJyd on November 8, 2006 at 5:29 PM
True. Rummy did have a way with a turn of the phrase in a press confrence.
But now the question before us is this:
Will Gates be able to do a better job than Rumsfeld in quelling the Iraqi insurgency?
Will Gates be able to do a better job than Rumsfeld in helping to ensure that the Iraqi military and police stand up?
If he can, great. If not, to heck with him. We need someone better.
And lets face it. Right now, it looks like we are not really making much progress in Iraq right now. If that is the case, who gets the blame? Bush? Rumsfeld? Gen Abizaid? General Casey? Who?
Yeah, its easy to blame the MSM and the left. But that is a cop-out. They are easy to blame, but they have no accountability. The accountability part come from the chain of command, ranging from the lowest ranking lieutenant, and going up from there, ending in the President. People in this chain get both the kudos for success, and the blame for failure.
So. If Iraq isn’t going the way we think it is, who is accountable? Who is responsible?
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 5:32 PM
Hasta luego, Rummie! Se habla espanol.
shackler on November 8, 2006 at 5:32 PM
DannoJyd, frankj is a bit of a prankster. You might want to venture over to his site to check out the unique world that frankj inhabits.
It involves monkeys, ninjas, and… well, I’ve said enough as it is.
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 5:36 PM
EFG….
It is ALL of the above. I know that is a cop out. Yes Bush is responsible. Yes Rummy is responsible. Yes the MSM is responsible. It is our CULTURE that is responsible. A willing to give, not willing to take culture that is ultimatly responsible.
WE are responsible because we abandonded the ONE principle that allowed us to fight a war like WWII….
-We held the people of a nation responsible for their own government.
today, all the west….it is-
-We are against the government but not the people.
Too easy an answer? Maybe but it is my belief that it is ALL of us, all our Greco/Roman/Judean ways, that are responsible. Relativism has brought us here.
(boy am I gonna get hit in the head over this one)
Limerick on November 8, 2006 at 5:40 PM
If it was up to me…I would do a Fallujah in every town in Iraq. I would capture every one of those bastards one by one.
Sadr would be a dead man and any other cleric that voiced opposition.
We don’t have the balls to fight the good fight. We have to be to “PC”. We have to be kind and sensitive.
Bullshit.
You fight wars to win. You fight wars the mean and nasty way. Our poor grandfathers are watching from heaven our weakness as an American society. We will never be the great generation. The terrorists are right. We are impatient. We are weak. And liberalism makes us weak.
msipes on November 8, 2006 at 5:42 PM
…on the button, msipes…Alexander the Great couldn’t do it…Rummy did.
I remember the Army I left, the Army of Reagan and the first Bush, the Army of Desert Storm. Then, as a “camp follower” after my career was over, and my wife’s continued, I saw the Army disintegrate.
I saw the Army of Clinton daily resemble the Army I’d enlisted into: the Army of Nixon and post-Vietnam. Materiel was lousy (they were stealing parts off of the tanks in static displays to repair first line tanks), training was non-existent, morale was putrid…and, under Shinseki, it was all supposed to be fixed by giving the GIs a new hat…and they couldn’t even get that right.
…the Clintonistas put up some fiction that the military that buzz-sawed through Afganistan and up to Baghdad was “Clinton’s military”…and I can state categorically that it wasn’t. The Special Forces were Reagan’s. The conventional forces were led by Reagan and Bush men, and were, after a time, being supplied by Rummy’s men. Clinton’s military was impotent….
…actually, the whole “peace dividend” thing was the *FIRST* Mr. Bush. The Wall and the Soviet Empire began to crumble on his watch, and the Democratic majority in Congress wanted to rape DOD for money to pay for their utopian schemes.
They began inviting NCOs and mid-grade officers to “excel elsewhere”, as they used to say in some service schools, by buying them out (severance pay in lieu of retirement), and by adjusting enlistement goals.
I know…I was “downsized” during what the then Army Chief-of-Staff kept dementedly referring to as “no more ‘Task Force Smiths’”.
Credit where it’s due…Clinton didn’t gut the military…he just *continued* to gut the military.
Puritan1648 on November 8, 2006 at 5:42 PM
I’m gonna miss saying “Rummy”…
Shackler… Take a cold shower, Bro… we are over it.
Sacwannabe on November 8, 2006 at 5:46 PM
@Puritan1648
Bravo! Like my father, so many veterans feel the agony of what Clinton did to the military and our weakness in intelligence gathering & strength of projecting US military power.
Rumsfeld made our military mobile, effective, and cut through butter like a hot knife. The Germans wouldn’t have stood a couple weeks chance against our modern Blitzkrieg.
In 30 years, Rumsfeld will be held up as one of the most brilliant military minds in human history.
msipes on November 8, 2006 at 5:47 PM
EFG, I really could care less.
Last night conservative issues, and values were sold out by those whiny ‘conservatives’ who refused to continue the good fight. Many grass roots GOP volunteers got the message loud and clear, and if the stay at home republicans think that those will again work after being told to go Frell Off then they have another thing comming. Does anyone think the stay at homers will volunteer in 08? I sure don’t, and thus believe that Hilary WILL win in 08.
My personal message to the cry babies is, I hope you enjoy what you’ve wrought.
DannoJyd on November 8, 2006 at 5:48 PM
Bye, Bye Donald Rumpelstiltskins
Opinionnation on November 8, 2006 at 5:48 PM
Personally I think Rummy is on the way out because Bush thought this was his last chance to push a new Sec Def while he still has a Republican Senate. I could be wrong though.
Dawnsblood on November 8, 2006 at 5:49 PM
…no…good ideas overall, but no…it’s *departing* from our “Greco/Roman/Judean ways” that’ve landed us here. Relativism is spot on, though, and *THAT* is just such a departure.
We’ve made “duty” a dirty word. Duty is what Kennedy spoke of in his “ask not what your country can do for you” speech. The Dems are proudly the Party of Kennedy, but don’t seem to remember anything he said.
…but, you’re right…we need to hold this nation responsible for the mess they allow the government to get us in…we need to remember that self-government doesn’t mean “vote for some used-car dealer to go to DC and do all your heavy lifting for you, so’s you can get on with the business of running your bowling alley/discount beauty supply store/designer condom dealership”….
…we’re responsible, ultimately…and, if we keep relying on Republicans or Democrats, we’re as guilty as we hold them to be.
It’s fashionable to be against the government, authority figures and all of that. There’s a smart-alecky bumpersticker out there, “Question authority”. Nice…rolls trippingly off the tongue…and total *CRAP*!
We keep referring to “the government” in the third person…when we ought to be referring to it in the first person plural…while we hang our heads in shame.
Question authority? Bollocks! Question bumperstickers as sources of philosophy…and educate your children….
Puritan1648 on November 8, 2006 at 5:51 PM
Goody bye and good luck good riddance Rummy. He was bull headed and history will NOT treat him unkindly. Even the military is glad he is gone, and that is bad. He did not listen to his generals. Retired commander, one after another came out with point blank condemnation of his leadership. When I saw the video of Rummy answering a soldiers question about why Humvee’s where not armored plated, he was his typical condescending self: *Oh well you don’t always have what you want!* The grumpy grand dad act and rhetorical questions or HOW DARE YOU way he had of answering serious questions wore thin. I long ago ran out of patients with this politico nincompoop. The only one in the original cabinet that had any sense was Colin Powell, and he got the heck out of there. Why? because the cabal of bush/cheney/rumsfeld. Yea for the troops and the American people. Thanks for your service Rummy, thanks for nothing. I am glad Bush is showing signs of life and doing something about this total mess we’re in. The people voted, wake up partisan politics tears down the country. A house divided? United we stand?
gmcjetpilot on November 8, 2006 at 6:00 PM
Forgive me if I’m a Pollyanna, but what Rummy as a VP candidate in ‘08?
SunnyBrook on November 8, 2006 at 6:01 PM
gmcjetpilot….
When we started the Civil War were were using smoothbore muskets. Worthless. We ended with repeating rifles and gatling guns.
When we started WW2 we had 20 knot destoryers(worthless), Buffalo and Devastator planes that could not fight(wothless), bolt action rifles(worthless), torpedoes that could not explode(worthless)
NO ARMY is equipped for the war it will fight AT THE BEGINNING OF A WAR. No amount of pre-planning will get you any closer to the right answer on weapons needed. It isn’t until the bullets start flying that things get clear. THAT is reality.
Limerick on November 8, 2006 at 6:05 PM
We’re speaking of Donald Rumsfeld as if he would have liked to stay on under the circumstances, but do we have any clear evidence as to Donald Rumsfeld’s role in his own departure? I recall the remark attributed to Henry Kissinger, that Rumsfeld was the most ruthless man he had ever met, and I remember the large number and wide variety of ruthless men HK must have met during his career. I wonder if someone of Rumsfeld’s abilities and supposed ruthlessness considers it worth his while to be “Secretary of Defense” mostly in name, given that he’d no longer be working merely against the State Department and the media, but against the Democratic Congress, too. The notion of Rumsfeld’s “service” to his country brings with it an assumption that Rumsfeld had a “servant spirit.” But for a man like Rumsfeld, “service” may not be worth the candle, unless “service” means rule.
Kralizec
http://kralizec.wordpress.com/
Kralizec on November 8, 2006 at 6:17 PM
Nothing is gonna change it gang. Suck it in and lets move on. We have lots left to deal with.
johnnyU on November 8, 2006 at 6:20 PM
…but yeah timing is everything. Why didnt he do that before the damn elections? I can you one thing though, with Paloosee in the seat, Hillary will have a rough run.
johnnyU on November 8, 2006 at 6:21 PM
DannoJyd, I don’t think I explained myself very well. I don’t think frankj is making fun of us. And I don’t think he is happy about loosing the elections. I’ve read his web site off and on for about a year, and he seems like a good, solid conservative. I don’t think he sat this one out either.
When he said “we want happy news. Make it up if you have to.” he was just being his normal, comedic self. And lets face it. We could all use some good news. I myself would love nothing more than it be revealed that a DieBold computer malfunction inadvertantly put half of the republican votes into the democrats tally. And the resulting re-count swept us back into control of the congress.
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 6:44 PM
Well, maybe one more thing.
Yeah, it sucks to loose the congress. But that is yesterdays news. We can’t change that. The only thing to do now is refocus, and move on.
If we learn from our mistakes here, we will go forth and kick much ass. It’ll take some time and a lot of hard work. So be it.
Second. Yeah, I know that a victory for the democrats sends a terrrible message to our enemies. Islamist Fascists are jumping for joy.
But on the other hand, this country is bigger than just the democrats or the republicans. Regardless of who is in charge, we will continue. Yeah, I’d be a lot happier with more red and less blue. But regardless, this is still the best place to be.
EFG on November 8, 2006 at 6:50 PM
And the sad thing is that the Dems don’t care that our enemies are jumping for joy.
Iblis on November 8, 2006 at 7:04 PM
Geez, Rumsfeld seemed really sad at the end. Does anyone know much about his replacement Gates?
aengus on November 8, 2006 at 7:10 PM
If the President had fired Rumsfeld before the election, the Dems and the media would have portrayed it as an admission that the war is flawed and hammered Republicans for failing to make the change for three years. All of those Congressmen that might now be complaining about having to defend Rumsfeld would be complaining about having to defend not firing Rumsfeld sooner.
Everything that is being said about Iraq now would be said about Afghanistan instead if there had never been an invasion of Iraq.
rw on November 8, 2006 at 7:18 PM
I think it’s pretty clear that anyone on Conyers’ and Rangle’s list will find it next to impossible to, under risk of perjury, be forced to revisit every detail of the last 4 years of a war, hire lawyers and mount a defense against a hostile congress and still perform their jobs with any kind of autonomy and effectiveness.
Assuming congress is going to keep cabinet officials under
investigation for the next 2 years, and I have no doubt that will be the case, it’s the only responsible thing to do. And it’s the right thing to do.
Rummy will still be subpoenaed and he will still have to testify. And he won’t be the last to be replaced.
moflicky on November 8, 2006 at 7:21 PM
The most serious error that Donald Rumsfeld made was allowing our continuing action in Iraq to still be called WAR. It is not, it is post-war defense of an infant democracy against an Iranian-backed insurgency. Saddam was ousted, captured, tried and now sentenced. A new intermediate government was crafted, elections were held, a constitution was drafted. Those are NOT war-time actions.
The MSM keeps the spin on that we are fighting AGAINST Iraq, which is a lie. We are helping Iraq, and fighting against terrorists, both indigenous and imported.
In terms of war, Rumsfeld’s Defense Department swept through Afghanistan and assumed control in weeks, something that nobody else managed in years. Then did the same in Iraq, against the fourth largest national military on earth. Yep, complete failure, that Rummy.
Freelancer on November 8, 2006 at 7:49 PM
Charles Shumer just said on O’Reilly that if Rumsfeld had resigned before the election the Republicans would have held the Congress.
noble_eagle on November 8, 2006 at 8:18 PM
Blindly following authority without stopping to ask why is primative and mindless. As a human being with an active and inquisitive mind I have a right and responsibility to question the any authority I am asked to submit to. I will not be a slave to any person or any system. Not questioning authority is naive and closed minded. Were the French wrong to question authority and storm the Bastille? Were the colonists wrong to question authority and dump tea into Boston Harbor? You scare the shit out of me Puritian.
JaHerer22 on November 8, 2006 at 8:25 PM
If Gates foreshadows a return of Bush 41, I’m going to demand the return of my ‘04 campaign contribution.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on November 8, 2006 at 8:54 PM
Why is it suddenly that we’re talking about “blindly following” anything?
…if your mind is soooooo wide open, why are you mouthing a “conventional wisdom” truism? Why does the faucet have to be all the way open or all the way shut?
I was talking about just the sort of people you’re sounding like: people who think in slogans.
…read the Declaration of Independence…it didn’t say “authority is bad”…it said “when authority goes bad…”…because it *CAN* go bad….
…but you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater…unless you’re George Tiller, MD….
News for you: somebody’s gotta be in charge. That’s what the Constitution is all about. It authorized, it empowered, and it left large swaths of human life unregulated, “reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”…but, it *DID* vest authority in to mutually suspicious branches of government.
…I should. I *DON’T* think in hyperboles.
…alsoooooo…
…I’m…standing…RIGHT BEHIND YOU…*ZZZZZZZZZZZIP*
…there I go…
…behind the dresser now…slithering under the ottoman…and…*THERE*…
…I’m right behind you again….giving you “rabbit ears”….
…the IRS got nothin’ on me….
Puritan1648 on November 8, 2006 at 9:25 PM
Stunning! And I thought we lived under a representative republic, not a full-blown mob-rule democracy! To decide who holds positions like Rumsfeld’s over who wins mid-term elections is (banging my head on the desk) absurd!!!
Joshua P. Allem on November 8, 2006 at 9:49 PM
I’m not sure this is even worth the effort, but here goes…
DannoJyd, I was one of the cogs in Karl Rove’s GOTV machine here in Florida. When central Florida proved insufficiently exciting, we received orders to call FL District 16 to tell folks to “Punch Foley for Joe Negron!” I spoke to many voters who were motivated to vote for Joe Negron, but thought they had to do a write-in or something. So, I personally made a difference in a few votes. Not enough, as it turned out, but I’m still glad I made the effort.
My motivation in ‘08 will be …. to do more to help Reagan conservatives. I hope you’ll join us.
Anton on November 8, 2006 at 10:01 PM
How long does anybody think Cheney will stick around? He can- and will- plead medical resons. Hopefully thet’ll pick Condi as his replacement.
Mike O on November 8, 2006 at 10:03 PM
…no…now they’re saying that this Rumsfeld-inspecting-underside-of-bus strategy was in the works for a while, Gates was consulted over the weekend…and the timing is just the timing…that devious, diabolical Rove, again, I assume….
…I cock my head to hear a yawn from the Republican base….
Puritan1648 on November 8, 2006 at 10:04 PM
Piss on Shumer. If Rumsfeld had been fired before the election, the dems would have found some way to define it as a stunt.
I don’t buy this “fire Rummy, win Congress” crap.
The Dems won:
1 - Because the dems who picked up seats ran heavy right, and/or preteneded to by republican.
This new term of “Bue Dogs” is bogus. Try “bait and switch democrat.”
2 - Because people are flat out dumb enough to believe the clap-trap the Dems have been pushing since Algore lost.
All the bushmchilterchimpy BS doesn’t hold water around here, but we pay attention. People who don’t keep up with events can’t/don’t/won’t see behind the green curtain, and they still think CNN, NYT and the AP are repsectable.
Not to say that a goodly number of reps didn’t deserve to get ousted by running crappy campaigns, but, the American public, by and large, have no idea what’s going on. They just lemminged their way to the polls and clicked “D” because, for the most part, that’s all they hear in the media.
Ask one person who voted democrat what is the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah, .. just one. Ask them who the AQ #2 is. Ask them anything even remotely related to the GWOT and I betcha’ you get a blank stare.
Maybe this will all work out for the best, but if it does it’s DESPITE the dems, not because of them.
And a**holes like Shumer giving hindsight advice is just stupid.
Rummy doesn’t deserve the lynching he’s getting. He did a heck of a job. And had anyone reproted it properly, people would know that.
Big apologies for the rant, but I don’t see this as a mandate of the people as much as I see it as the public just got f’d in the A by a bunch of slight-of-hand artists.
yo on November 8, 2006 at 10:14 PM
Fmr Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had a way of dealing with the Bias MSM that will be missed, he served his country the best he could. Those Democrats who would compare Donald Rumsfeld to Robert Mc Namara, don’t know what the hell their talking about. This isn’t a sign of President Bush bowing to Democrats because for all we know Rumsfeld planned to resign regardless of the election results as he was Secretary of Defense for 6 years and at some point he had to step down and take a time out for himself as the job does take it’s toll..
Brah on November 8, 2006 at 10:14 PM
I will sorely miss the clever wit and barbs that Sec. Rumsfeld tossed into the MSM. I was sorry to see him beheaded to day on T.V.
Troy Rasmussen on November 8, 2006 at 11:17 PM
I used to think this until I discovered Condi doesn’t have a problem with the current immigration problems. Nope, I won’t vote for her.
jaleach on November 8, 2006 at 11:22 PM
Rumsfelds resignation was a patriotic and brilliant move
Sec Rumsfeld took away the Demcrats ability to demonize him and through him the Administration and the military and the troops he so deeply cared about.
Rather than give them a pretext for seizing the initiatve, Rumsfeld took away the Democrats ability to distract the American people from the position are troops are in and their all important mission.
EricPWJohnson on November 8, 2006 at 11:38 PM
I meant “positions our troops are in”
EricPWJohnson on November 8, 2006 at 11:38 PM
*conference call*
Bush: “Hello?”
Pelosi: “We won. Big time.”
Bush: “Yes, I know.”
Pelosi: “So now I get to ask for favors, Chimpy McHalliburton.”
Bush: “I suppose, you old Commie hag.”
Pelosi: “Bring me the head of Donald Rumsfeld on a platter.”
Bush: “Fine, but you leave Condi alone.”
Pelosi: “Rove?”
Bush: “Nope.”
Pelosi: “Cheney?”
Bush: “Nice try.”
Pelosi: “Okay, we’ll settle for Rummy, but the Nutroots will be upset with us.”
Bush: “That’s your problem.”
Pelosi: “Hang on…someone wants to talk.”
Howard Dean: “Yaaaaahhhhhhh!”
*Bush hangs up*
Pelosi: “Are you still there Chimpy? George? Mr. Bush?”
Keith Olbermann: “This was as good as I expected it to be.”
Pelosi: “We’re done with you. Go away.”
Dean (Howard): “We’re going to take Virginia, then Montana, then…Yaaaaahhhhh!”
Dean (Esmay): “Muslims are our friends!”
Pelosi: “Oh, dear God!”
Bellicose Muse on November 9, 2006 at 12:19 AM
Cheney’s gotta be next if Bush overruled him on both the firing and the replacement. It’s time to set up a successor for ‘08. I give Dick a few months, max.
rotorhead on November 9, 2006 at 12:40 AM
DannoJyd wrote: “Why don’t conservatives get it? Last night we LOST!”
As I predicted, we conservative are about to “get it,” — only without any vaseline or rubber gloves….
A press release from the gun grabbers….Pay particular attention to the two highlighted paragraphs.
georgej on November 9, 2006 at 1:13 AM
I needed that. Y’all rock!
p.v. cornelius on November 9, 2006 at 3:31 AM
First let me give some credit to Rumsfeld, he did transform the Army, in a good way. Shinseki was a touchy feely boob. When the Army needed real transformation his reponose was Army of One and cool berets. Rumsfeld did it on the fly and under fire. Kudos Rummy.
That being said it was time for him to go. He should have left around the same time as Tommy Franks. Read Tommy’s autobiography. He wanted out from CENTCOM after Afganistan, but they convinced him to stay on through the invasion. His response was, “I take care of the invasion, but someone else will need to run the reconstruction because it will take years and I want to retire sometime this decade.” Kinda a copout I know, leaving before the hard part, but he did have a point. But Rummy is too set in his ways, he knows what he likes and knows that everything else is crap. We need someone a little more dynamic in DoD to run the reconstruction, someone who can see that the currenlt plan sucks and is willing to try something new even if he doesn’t agree with it.
BohicaTwentyTwo on November 9, 2006 at 8:35 AM
When you don’t do your job, you get fired. Iraq is a mess because of Rumsfelds incompetence. The generals there are inco mpetent as well. And Bush is disgusting.
He said F you to his conservative base……and he screwed them by not firing Rummy two months ago.
Bush is a closet democrat.
LZVandy on November 9, 2006 at 8:42 AM
No, no, no. We don’t want him. This Gates thing is interesting–he is completely Scowcroft’s boy. So with Baker guiding Iraq policy, I guess Poppy is getting his second term. Daaaaddddd……
honora on November 9, 2006 at 9:55 AM
Good riddance. His arrogance and refusal to cooperate with/listen to other parts of our government and military have undoubtedly cost us billions of dollars and many lives in Iraq. Go home and stay home Donald.
WisCon on November 9, 2006 at 10:12 AM
Rumsfeld had balls and therefore MUST go now that we are on a mad dash toward the Total Pussification of America. John Bolton, the only pair of balls in the entire UN, is NEXT on the chopping block. Cheney’s got balls, so we’ll see how long he lasts in the New Pussified WH. I was thinking that Bush was gonna hand his balls over to Ms. Speaker, but then I remembered that they’ve been missing for a few years. I think he gave them to Vicente Fox or something.
Redhead Infidel on November 9, 2006 at 11:11 AM
The rare privilege in all of the last 6 years was the troops’ opportunity to serve with such a fine Secretary of Defense. Mr. Rumsfeld, Sir, the privilege was all ours.
Subsunk
Subsunk on November 12, 2006 at 4:00 PM