Democrats Target Rumsfeld

[spindrifter]

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 1, 2006

Under assault from Republicans on issues of national security, congressional Democrats are planning to push for a vote of no confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this month as part of a broad effort to stay on the offensive ahead of the November midterm elections.

In Rumsfeld, Democrats believe they have found both a useful antagonist and a stand-in for President Bush and what they see as his blunders in Iraq. This week, Rumsfeld compared critics of the war in Iraq to appeasers of Adolf Hitler, a hyperbolic attack that Democrats hope will backfire.

But even before that attack, Democrats and some Republicans had maintained that Bush has never held anyone in his administration accountable for decisions in the Iraq war that many military analysts say went disastrously wrong. The decisions include not mobilizing enough troops to keep the peace, disbanding the entire Iraqi army and purging all members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party -- including teachers and low-level technocrats -- from the Iraqi government.

"Secretary Rumsfeld's stewardship of this effort is a failure, and he has let down our armed forces," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who is pushing for the no-confidence move.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101531.html

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It is well worth reading the last paragraph!

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. Now to be fair, you have to admit

Bush said that the person who leaked Plames name would be "taken care of". Bush was, at least this once, true to his word. The guilty party (parties) have/has a new house, a new car, and a more prestigious position than before in the administration. Man, I wish I'd get "taken care of" like that when I fucked up, but alas, I am not a Republican't. I have to take personal responsibility for my fuck ups.

[gulliver]

2. Good luck. I think the Dems should target the Republicans.

It's just as easy to attack Republicanism itself on this. Rumsfeld is a distraction. Dems aren't going to get Bush to fire him. Rumsfeld has already offered to resign. The American people won't get what any of this says about Republicans. The Dems should call on the Republicans to resign and just give Rumsfeld as an "example."

[Duke Newcombe]

3. What'll it take...

...for Rummy to lose his gig...for someone to get killed because of his ineptitude....? Oh...sorry--been there, done that. Nevermind.

Duke