NOT SO interesting that Lott and Frist are on opposite sides on this. i can see Frist being the Bush endorsed candidate for the Republican Primary.
<WASHINGTON - The Senate's top two Republicans voiced support for Donald Rumsfeld on Friday as allies of the defense secretary sought to outflank increasingly vocal GOP critics in and out of Congress.
"I am confident that Secretary Rumsfeld is fully capable of leading the Department of Defense and our military forces to victory in Iraq and the war on terror," Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said in a written statement. "Most importantly he has the confidence of his commanders in the field and our commander in chief."
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the GOP whip, said Rumsfeld "is an excellent secretary of defense and we are fortunate to have a man of his courage and vision serving the president at this critical time."
Frist and McConnell came to Rumsfeld's defense after several days of GOP criticism aimed at the man who has steered the Pentagon during the Iraq war and its messy aftermath. More than 1,300 American troops have died since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began in 2003.
None of Rumsfeld's congressional GOP critics has yet called for his ouster. Still, they have grown increasingly outspoken in recent days, less than two weeks after White House disclosed that the president wanted the defense secretary to remain in his post into a second term.>
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/10442730.htm