Shuffle That Rummy Deck

MayorBob.

Posted to Politics on Thu Nov 09, 2006 at 09:42:58 AM EST (promoted by Acefantastik). RSS.

The first post-election casualty of the 2006 mid-term elections has been identified.  That would be Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld whose resignation was tendered to and accepted by President George Bush.  Bush announced that former CIA head Robert Gates will be nominated to succeed Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld was the 21st Secretary of Defense (SecDef) and served from Bush's inauguration until the results of the 2006 elections made it clear the American public was not happy about the war in Iraq.  He was the only person to serve as SecDef twice - once as the youngest, under President Gerald Ford and then as the oldest during his current term.  Calling Rumsfeld a "superb leader" President Bush allowed "that many Americans voted last night to register their displeasure with the lack of progress being made" in Iraq.  More so than any other administration figure, Rumsfeld has been a focus of much discontent, even from Republicans.  He shot out of the blocks early with good marks for the way he reacted to the attack on the Pentagon, personally helping to rescue victims.  But, almost from the moment the invasion of Afghanistan was pronounced a victory, it's been downhill for Rumsfeld.  He was blamed for not committing enough forces for the invasion.  He was blamed for shortcomings in properly equipping soldiers in the field.  He was criticized for not recognizing a civil war when we're in the middle of one.  He was also criticized for scoffing at reservations some European nations had at the Iraq enterprise, labeling them the concerns of "Old Europe."  He was, however, fertile ground for any number of near incoherent statements better known as "Rumfeldisms."

So, Rummy's out and Gates is in.  Gates was the first career CIA employee to rise to be named Director of Central Intelligence in 1991.  He withdrew a previous nomination in 1987 over controversy arising from his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair.  Gates has been president of Texas A&M University since 2001.  Senators will likely want to revisit the Iran-Contra thing but, given the fact that intelligence failings have been blamed for part of our woes in Iraq, they might want to press him on his record and experience at providing intelligence analysis to national leadership.  According to one critic Gates was "the one most responsible for institutionalizing political corruption of intelligence analysis."

edited by Ace