I put this forward as something that's just plain nuts. Rummy has had ludicrously poor judgement on almost everything and the press and congress had to virtually pry him out of the Pentagon with a crowbar. His bull-headed 'loyalty' probably cost Bush the Senate. God forbid competence be taken into consideration.
A Bad Omen in Rumsfeld's Firing
By Robert D. Novak
Thursday, November 23, 2006
In the two weeks since the election, I have asked a wide assortment of Republican notables their opinion of the Rumsfeld sacking. Only one went on the record: Rep. Duncan Hunter, the House Armed Services Committee chairman. A rare undeviating supporter of Rumsfeld, Hunter told me that "it was a mistake for him to resign." The others, less supportive of Rumsfeld, said they were "appalled" -- the most common descriptive word -- by the president's performance.
The treatment of his war minister connotes something deeply wrong with George W. Bush's presidency in its sixth year. Apart from Rumsfeld's failures in personal relations, he never has been anything short of loyal in executing the president's wishes. But loyalty appears to be a one-way street for Bush. His shrouded decision to sack Rumsfeld after declaring that he would serve out the second term fits the pattern of a president who is secretive and impersonal.
It is hard to find anyone in the Bush administration who endorses the way Rumsfeld was handled. His friend and comrade, Vice President Cheney, is reported to be profoundly disturbed. But even before the election, Cheney appeared melancholy. A high-ranking administration official who visited the vice president then reported him to be nothing like the upbeat Cheney of earlier years in this administration.
This rest of the article is located here. If Rummy has a soul he'll be haunted like McNamara was - but he probably doesn't have one.. He'll go to his grave defending his bad decisions..
He always assumed the house of cards would fall in our direction and never took seriously questions re: whether our reach might exceed our grasp. He's become a genuine monster. History won't smile on him, or Bush for that matter.