Let Rumsfeld Go

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/05/AR2005120501575.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email
Let Rumsfeld Go

By Richard Cohen

Tuesday, December 6, 2005; Page A29

Subjecting the newly declassified White House "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" to a cynically inspired computer search, I find that the name "Donald Rumsfeld" is missing from the document's 35 pages. A reasonable person would be confounded by this. How can we have "Victory in Iraq" if the man in command has already brought us defeat?

........Under Rumsfeld's plan, the United States never had enough troops on the ground -- still doesn't, actually. It was Rumsfeld who thought the United States would get into Iraq and then swiftly get out -- leaving nation-building to the United Nations and similar agencies, maybe the Boy Scouts. He dismissed the looting that stripped Iraq bare following the war, setting the stage for the chaos and lawlessness that persist to this day. He made Jay Garner the viceroy of Iraq and then replaced him with L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer, who sacked the Iraqi army and much of the bureaucracy -- a huge mistake. Under Rumsfeld, just about nothing has gone right.

The guy who should pay for the debacle of Iraq is George Bush. Unfortunately, the American people reelected him, and that, as they say, is that. But Rumsfeld serves at the pleasure of the president. He is a man of substantial charm, not to mention monumental self-confidence, but no one can claim he has been a success. He has failed at the task he set for himself -- a swift victory in Iraq. Almost nothing has turned out anything like he said it would. If he were still the chief executive of G.D. Searle & Co., he'd expect the board to fire him. The same standard should apply at the Pentagon.

The "board" in this case is the president. By sticking with Rumsfeld, Bush presumably thinks he is showing that no mistakes were made in the handling of the war -- that the plan is on course. Unfortunately, no one believes that. Common sense rebuts it. If Bush is going to continue to call on Americans to die in Iraq, he at least has to show that he recognizes his mistakes and is willing to change what needs to be changed. (Didn't he learn anything at Harvard Business School?) The sacking of Rumsfeld would be one such signal -- a sign that this intellectually apathetic president is willing to question his assumptions, challenge his convictions and admit that he has been wrong. When it comes to Iraq, if the United States is going to stay, then Rumsfeld has to go.

cohenr@washpost.com

Let Rumsfeld go...to The Hague. If not, then just fire him.

While I would like nothing more than to see Rumsfield retired, fired or anyway otherwise gone from the Defense Department - Ah, yes, an excellent Christmas present! - I am equally concerned that this would serve as an excuse for Bush-Cheney and start a new round of "spin" on war excuses, postponing the accountability for the President that the American people seem to have rightly assigned to him. "The buck stops here" is at the desk of the President.

I would like to see the author revise the one sentence to read: When it comes to Iraq, if the United States is going to stay, then Rumsfield, BUSH AND CHENEY have to go."

there you go, again, corporate media ... perpetuating the lie ... which, in turn, taints the premise of any analysis ... Even things you write are effected by the lie.

fwiw, that was the general theme of my email to Mr. Cohen


I agree Rumsfeld should go ... but, not alone ... and, certainly not without having his day in court.

Funny how administrations, legit or not, come and go ... but, certain players always seem to be involved whether under Nixon, Ford, Reagan, or either Bu$hes. I guess they're, a least, known knowns.

monumental self-confidence". I'd like to change that to "arrogance and conceit".

If you take a really close look at RumsFailed today, you do not see a Self-Confident man. Look at the eyes. They're sunken in. RumsFailed has been to a lot of board meetings. There's been a lot of cussing. A lot of fists pounded in the table.

Lots and lots of fighting. I don't even need to know how the meetings turned out. All I have to do it look at his face, and I know.

They've told him it's no good. It's not going to work. How in the hell are we going to get out of this mess? You goddamned CIVILIAN leader of the Pentagon, you schemer.