President Bush has announced that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down from his post to be replaced by former CIA head Robert Gates.
It’s become blatantly obvious that Rumsfeld has become a lightning rod for criticism, and his resignation is a sign that the Bush Administration does indeed intend to change course in Iraq. I hope that change in course involves the addition of enough troops to secure Baghdad and stabilize the country before time runs out and the last remaining will to do the job drains from the body politic.
Why did he wait to resign until after the election?
There’s the $64,000 question… Bush already was looking for his replacement before the elections. It really doesn’t make sense.
The only explanation is that Bush is too damned stubborn to look like he’s bowing under pressure. Even that doesn’t make sense as it looks like he did now anyway. As they say in the White House, “POTUS is POTUS”…
For my money, this screwup ranks right up there with Katrina and Harriet Miers in terms of Major Bush Screwups…