Rumsfeld Resignation Applauded by Democrats
Rumsfeld
The Eagle-Tribune
Bryan McGonigle
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 8
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 – Hours after an election in which Democrats rode a wave of Iraq-related voter dissatisfaction to control of the House of Representatives, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned Wednesday.
“Don Rumsfeld has been a superb leader during a time of change,” President Bush said in a press conference Wednesday. “Yet he also appreciates the value of bringing fresh perspective during a critical period in this war.”
Democrats applauded the move.
“Changing policy in Iraq starts first with a change in leadership,” Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement Wednesday. “This decision is what is best for our troops and for our country.
Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., called the resignation “long overdue.” Meehan has been publicly calling for Rumsfeld to step down for two years.
“By failing to send in enough troops to secure the peace, by not giving our troops the necessary body armor, and by failing to send up-armored Humvees, Secretary Rumsfeld neglected his responsibility to protect our troops,” Meehan said.
Rumsfeld’s resignation comes after exit polls taken during Tuesday’s election showed nearly 60 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the war in Iraq.
More than 100 Americans were killed in Iraq during October, making it the fourth deadliest month for U.S. troops since the 2003 invasion, according to the Associated Press.
“I hope that Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation will not only change the public face of the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq, but will also bring about a meaningful change of course in Iraq,” Meehan said. “We need a strong independent voice in the Pentagon to stand up to the misguided policies coming from the
White House.”
President Bush nominated Robert Gates yesterday to replace Rumsfeld. Gates was a member of the Iraq Study Group – a bipartisan panel that is analyzing how the president should proceed in Iraq.
Gates was also the head of the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and deputy director of the agency during the Reagan years.
Meehan expressed cautious optimism about the replacement.
“I fear that the appointment of another person from the Bush family’s inner circle will not lead to a new strategy in Iraq,” Meehan said. “However, I look forward to working with the next Secretary of Defense on what I hope will be a new direction for Iraq in the months ahead.”
Rumsfeld, 74, was both the youngest and the oldest person to serve as secretary of defense, having served in that role under Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.
He was elected to represent Illinois in the House in 1962 and resigned from that office in 1969 to join Nixon’s cabinet as director of the United States Office of Economic Opportunity. He left Washington in 1973 to serve as ambassador to NATO and returned in 1975 to serve in Ford’s cabinet.
“We thank Secretary Rumsfeld for his service,” Kennedy said. “Clearly now is the time to give our men and women in uniform new leadership and a new policy that is worthy of their enormous sacrifice.”
###
