Cross-posted at
Daily Josh.
The calls and demands for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have begun picking up again. The increasingly hopeless situation in Iraq indicates that this trend will continue, especially as the debate becomes more heated in the months leading up to mid-term elections. Bush will have to make a decision soon: stand by his man and take the heat for his incompetent tenure at the DoD, or, accept/demand Rumsfeld's resignation. Given the fact that Bush is extremely loyal and loathes to make changes in his administration, it seems to me that the only way Rumsfeld will be asked to leave is if Rove can find a way to gain from the move politically. The most obvious, and perhaps most effective way to do so would be to turn Rumsfeld into the ultimate scapegoat.
Imagine these republican talking points:
Invading Iraq wasn't a mistake, it was just mishandled by Rumsfeld
Afghanistan wouldn't be falling apart right now if Rumsfeld had done his job effectively.
With Rumsfeld and his incompetence out of the way we can now turn things around in Iraq
Here is a small taste of what congress and retired generals have been saying about "Rummy" lately:
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R):
"I've made no bones about it the last two years," Davis told members of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers on Thursday. "He's probably a nice guy, but I don't think he's a great secretary of defense."
Joe Lieberman:"Rumsfeld serves at the pleasure of the President. But, I can tell you this, if I were President, I would say "Thank you, but we need some new leadership at the Pentagon."
Hillary Clinton: "I just don't understand why we can't get new leadership that would give us a fighting chance to turn the situation around before it's too late," the New York Democrat and potential 2008 presidential contender said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think the president should choose to accept Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation."
"The secretary has lost credibility with the Congress and with the people," she said. "It's time for him to step down and be replaced by someone who can develop an effective strategy and communicate it effectively to the American people and to the world."
Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton:accused the Defense secretary of "ignoring the advice of seasoned officers and denying subordinates any chance for input.... I have seen a climate of groupthink become dominant and a growing reluctance by experienced military men and civilians to challenge the notions of the senior leadership." General Eaton was in charge of training Iraqi forces from 2003 to 2004.
Now we all know that Bush is an extremely loyal guy. Probably one of the only things he values more that his loyalty is the republican majority in Congress that allows him to do whatever he pleases. But the simple truth of the matter is this: Rumsfeld represents the ultimate scapegoating opportunity for the white house. Just as Michael Brown was blamed for the grossly inadequate federal response to Katrina, Rumsfeld will likely be blamed for failures in Afghanistan and Iraq.
My question is this. Should we prepare for the possibility of the Bush administration taking this approach, and if so, how?