Tell us what you think about Donald Rumsfeld's resignation as Secretary of Defense, and share your thoughts on how it may change U.S. military policy
18 Comments
erv said:
how many people actually believe bush when he said this decision was made before the election?
he stood there and fed us all another line of his crap. if the election had gone the other way it would have been 2 more years of the same.
Diane Smith said:
I don't think much will happen because democrats would like to elect a president in two years and do not want to set up set any controversy that might influence people. For example, I do not think taxes will be raised unless or until a Democratic president is elected. Some popular program may be instituted (more money being spent "on the people"). The war? I don't know, everyone is caught in the middle right now.
CW said:
Its about time Secretry Runsfeld resigned- His goal was to run the U.S. military as a 'business'-remake the military to fashion a "leanor force".
The U.S. Arm Forces is not a 'BUSINESS ' that you need to down-size to make a profit.
Duirng the invasion of Iraq- He didn't have any trust in the JCS in developing war plans-Rumsfeld appointed civilianc advisor's to over look every plans that the JCS writtne up before he would signed off on them.
As far as I see it, Secretary of Defense that does not trust the military to their job-doen't need to be that posiiton.
felix quinn said:
as one of the architects of a policy which is guilty of imposing an american solution on a muslim region of the world with a go-it-alone neocon policy I am glad he has been removed. He has never been a general and his policy decisions have caused numerous failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Too little, too late, and too dictatorial, he should be seen as a failure by any standard with his piecemeal adaptations to military strategy. The grand strategy of VP Cheeny (Rumsfeld) has been revealed as the failure that it is with its total lack of understanding how we need the cooperation of the rest of the world.
Denice said:
Finally, a tipping point has been reached - America has figured it out.....
Now, let's give Iraq back to it's people. They don't want the US to occupy their country!
GIVE IRAQ BACK...GIVE IRAQ BACK...GIVE IRAQ BACK
john robinson said:
The voters sent a message. Rum would still be in if the votes had been business as usual. Resigning was a done deal, depending on which way the votes went. What they call a no brainer.
David said:
I certainly believe that this was a very good thing. I think it really does show a change in direction in the administration's policies in Iraq and overseas in general, and I think that, by beginning this process on Sunday, shows that the President is really beginning to understand what the people in this country have been saying over the last 4-6 years; the administration is beginning to realize that it cannot disregard the voice of the people without paying some kind of price. The President has been keeping up this appearance of living in a bubble cut off from us, and that he is going to do what he is going to do regardless of what anyone is saying about him or his policies. This persistence to remain on his chosen path despite public outcry against it demonstrates this. I also like the timing of it: it has the appearance of being political, but waiting until after the election really minimizes the administration's appearance that it intends to sway the election with this move in some way. The entire situation shows that President Bush is actually planning for the worst and hoping for the best rather than just walking blindly down his path believing in the transparent bubble of invincibility. I can only hope that this kind of thinking persists.
-David
Martin said:
He had no legs to stand on anymore .. if he would have stayed on he would have probably impeached. The military newspapers all publicly asked him to resign which showed that even in his own ranks he had no longer the support. 1 down .. many more to go.
Cliff said:
If Democrats do as they have said they will, allow tax cuts to expire and increase others, I see us going into a depression. Take home pay for those who are/will be working will decrease.
TR said:
As a military retiree with 30 years service covering all of Vietnam, Deasert Shield and Storm I feel a little more qualified to comment on the resignation of the Secretary of Defense than those that are currently posted.
It's easy to be an arm chair quarter back and call the plays you feel are needed from your point of view. What you are lacking is the education and experience that is gained by attending war colleges, war planning exercises and addressing constant changes in a battle plans.
The decisions made by an experieced Secretary of Defense after input is made by his military commanders in the cambat zone and on his staff are not made without considering all the possible outcomes of the decision, pro or con.
The general public nor the news media are perview to these classified briefings with the Secretary of Defense that decisions are based upon. Therefore so much of the criticizem given to the Secretary is not based on anything well founded. Most people as far as I can tell base their political decisions upon the influence from others and not after an independant evaluation of the issue.
I do not envey anyone in the position of Secretary of Defense during the times we currently live. I don't believe that the American public or the the newly elected truely understand the severity the dangers that lay before them. Protecting our country from attack and providing for the safety of our citizens is no cake walk when, like Vietnam, you do not know what your enemy looks like.
You asked for the responsibility and now you have it! God be with you!!
Leadership is lonely job. Now that the changes are going to be made in House of Representative and the Senate the newly elected will have to step up to the plate and perform to the expectations of the electorit.
Ed said:
His days were numbered anyway.Incompetentcy only promotes incompetentcy.Good to see him leave office. Even if it was with his tail between his legs.
George said:
Rumsfeld, the man who sat on the board of the company that sold a nuclear reactor to North Korea is stepping down. I'm not sad. He's being replaced by a man who was neck deep in the IRAN-Contra scandal (guns and drugs for money).
This is simple history. Do some research instead of going into denial. Our country is at stake.
An American said:
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children… This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”
- PRESIDENT Eisenhower 1953
“…we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought of unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
-PRESIDENT Eisenhower, 1961
Eisenhower believed that we were a rich and powerful nation, even though we had been caught up in worldly military struggles/wars we still emerged as a strong, wealthy nation. He warned that, with great responsibility of wealth and power, should come the knowledge also of how to use it in the interest of world peace and the betterment of mankind. America’s basic purpose was to keep the peace, to help others in their struggles to maintain or achieve liberty and freedom. He warns to guard against spending on huge unnecessary project to find the miracle cure for what ails the world. Even at this he speaks of America’s military might and how it has grown. That since WWII we have developed a military industry for the production of weaponry, where there was once the maker of the farm plow. Understandably these things are necessary, but the danger lies within there must be a balance in its influence. Economically, politically and spiritually it influence is felt throughout the country. He knows that it is necessary, and recognizes the grave implications that it has on the very structure of our society. Beware of unwarranted and unsought influence of the military-industrial complex, and the possibilities of misplaced powers. And that's exactly what we've gotten. If you don't think so you've been brainwashed. Blindly following people like Rumsfeld is not doing your patriotic duty as an American. Simply saying "Support Our Troops" does nothing. This country was not built on slogans, it was built on people seeking personal freedoms and questioning power. Remember the Boston Tea Party? The American Revolution? That's what being an American is all about. There's more to the American dream than driving a nice car and having a house. There's a responsibility.
English American said:
It is the best news I have heard. He has lied to us every since the Bush Gang was elected! He and his leader are war mongers!
Hans York said:
Thank God.
Iraq is the wrong war, for the wrong reasons and has diluted, not increased the "War on Terror" many of us agreed to, 5 years ago.
I hope & pray the new Democratic majority in Congress can find a sooner, rather than later, path out of Iraq.
Social Security, healthcare reform, excellence in education and living wages are domestic needs that require work & attention, not passing sound bytes.
Rumsfeld's exit is a good beginning.
tertium quid said:
I'd hate to be an Iraqi who co-operated in any way with US Forces right now - after the torture, the execution.
erv said:
after reading the latest story on pat tillman i think one of the first things the democrats should do is investigate. this whole thing smells of coverup. the question is how high up it went.
Rick said:
The wrong person resigned,
Bush should have stepped down, he is the one in charge after-all, who's responsible ??? BUSH !!!!
how many people actually believe bush when he said this decision was made before the election?
he stood there and fed us all another line of his crap. if the election had gone the other way it would have been 2 more years of the same.
I don't think much will happen because democrats would like to elect a president in two years and do not want to set up set any controversy that might influence people. For example, I do not think taxes will be raised unless or until a Democratic president is elected. Some popular program may be instituted (more money being spent "on the people"). The war? I don't know, everyone is caught in the middle right now.
Its about time Secretry Runsfeld resigned- His goal was to run the U.S. military as a 'business'-remake the military to fashion a "leanor force".
The U.S. Arm Forces is not a 'BUSINESS ' that you need to down-size to make a profit.
Duirng the invasion of Iraq- He didn't have any trust in the JCS in developing war plans-Rumsfeld appointed civilianc advisor's to over look every plans that the JCS writtne up before he would signed off on them.
As far as I see it, Secretary of Defense that does not trust the military to their job-doen't need to be that posiiton.
as one of the architects of a policy which is guilty of imposing an american solution on a muslim region of the world with a go-it-alone neocon policy I am glad he has been removed. He has never been a general and his policy decisions have caused numerous failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Too little, too late, and too dictatorial, he should be seen as a failure by any standard with his piecemeal adaptations to military strategy. The grand strategy of VP Cheeny (Rumsfeld) has been revealed as the failure that it is with its total lack of understanding how we need the cooperation of the rest of the world.
Finally, a tipping point has been reached - America has figured it out.....
Now, let's give Iraq back to it's people. They don't want the US to occupy their country!
GIVE IRAQ BACK...GIVE IRAQ BACK...GIVE IRAQ BACK
The voters sent a message. Rum would still be in if the votes had been business as usual. Resigning was a done deal, depending on which way the votes went. What they call a no brainer.
I certainly believe that this was a very good thing. I think it really does show a change in direction in the administration's policies in Iraq and overseas in general, and I think that, by beginning this process on Sunday, shows that the President is really beginning to understand what the people in this country have been saying over the last 4-6 years; the administration is beginning to realize that it cannot disregard the voice of the people without paying some kind of price. The President has been keeping up this appearance of living in a bubble cut off from us, and that he is going to do what he is going to do regardless of what anyone is saying about him or his policies. This persistence to remain on his chosen path despite public outcry against it demonstrates this. I also like the timing of it: it has the appearance of being political, but waiting until after the election really minimizes the administration's appearance that it intends to sway the election with this move in some way. The entire situation shows that President Bush is actually planning for the worst and hoping for the best rather than just walking blindly down his path believing in the transparent bubble of invincibility. I can only hope that this kind of thinking persists.
-David
He had no legs to stand on anymore .. if he would have stayed on he would have probably impeached. The military newspapers all publicly asked him to resign which showed that even in his own ranks he had no longer the support. 1 down .. many more to go.
If Democrats do as they have said they will, allow tax cuts to expire and increase others, I see us going into a depression. Take home pay for those who are/will be working will decrease.
As a military retiree with 30 years service covering all of Vietnam, Deasert Shield and Storm I feel a little more qualified to comment on the resignation of the Secretary of Defense than those that are currently posted.
It's easy to be an arm chair quarter back and call the plays you feel are needed from your point of view. What you are lacking is the education and experience that is gained by attending war colleges, war planning exercises and addressing constant changes in a battle plans.
The decisions made by an experieced Secretary of Defense after input is made by his military commanders in the cambat zone and on his staff are not made without considering all the possible outcomes of the decision, pro or con.
The general public nor the news media are perview to these classified briefings with the Secretary of Defense that decisions are based upon. Therefore so much of the criticizem given to the Secretary is not based on anything well founded. Most people as far as I can tell base their political decisions upon the influence from others and not after an independant evaluation of the issue.
I do not envey anyone in the position of Secretary of Defense during the times we currently live. I don't believe that the American public or the the newly elected truely understand the severity the dangers that lay before them. Protecting our country from attack and providing for the safety of our citizens is no cake walk when, like Vietnam, you do not know what your enemy looks like.
You asked for the responsibility and now you have it! God be with you!!
Leadership is lonely job. Now that the changes are going to be made in House of Representative and the Senate the newly elected will have to step up to the plate and perform to the expectations of the electorit.
His days were numbered anyway.Incompetentcy only promotes incompetentcy.Good to see him leave office. Even if it was with his tail between his legs.
Rumsfeld, the man who sat on the board of the company that sold a nuclear reactor to North Korea is stepping down. I'm not sad. He's being replaced by a man who was neck deep in the IRAN-Contra scandal (guns and drugs for money).
This is simple history. Do some research instead of going into denial. Our country is at stake.
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children… This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”
- PRESIDENT Eisenhower 1953
“…we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought of unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
-PRESIDENT Eisenhower, 1961
Eisenhower believed that we were a rich and powerful nation, even though we had been caught up in worldly military struggles/wars we still emerged as a strong, wealthy nation. He warned that, with great responsibility of wealth and power, should come the knowledge also of how to use it in the interest of world peace and the betterment of mankind. America’s basic purpose was to keep the peace, to help others in their struggles to maintain or achieve liberty and freedom. He warns to guard against spending on huge unnecessary project to find the miracle cure for what ails the world. Even at this he speaks of America’s military might and how it has grown. That since WWII we have developed a military industry for the production of weaponry, where there was once the maker of the farm plow. Understandably these things are necessary, but the danger lies within there must be a balance in its influence. Economically, politically and spiritually it influence is felt throughout the country. He knows that it is necessary, and recognizes the grave implications that it has on the very structure of our society. Beware of unwarranted and unsought influence of the military-industrial complex, and the possibilities of misplaced powers. And that's exactly what we've gotten. If you don't think so you've been brainwashed. Blindly following people like Rumsfeld is not doing your patriotic duty as an American. Simply saying "Support Our Troops" does nothing. This country was not built on slogans, it was built on people seeking personal freedoms and questioning power. Remember the Boston Tea Party? The American Revolution? That's what being an American is all about. There's more to the American dream than driving a nice car and having a house. There's a responsibility.
It is the best news I have heard. He has lied to us every since the Bush Gang was elected! He and his leader are war mongers!
Thank God.
Iraq is the wrong war, for the wrong reasons and has diluted, not increased the "War on Terror" many of us agreed to, 5 years ago.
I hope & pray the new Democratic majority in Congress can find a sooner, rather than later, path out of Iraq.
Social Security, healthcare reform, excellence in education and living wages are domestic needs that require work & attention, not passing sound bytes.
Rumsfeld's exit is a good beginning.
I'd hate to be an Iraqi who co-operated in any way with US Forces right now - after the torture, the execution.
after reading the latest story on pat tillman i think one of the first things the democrats should do is investigate. this whole thing smells of coverup. the question is how high up it went.
The wrong person resigned,
Bush should have stepped down, he is the one in charge after-all, who's responsible ??? BUSH !!!!
Stop the war, bring our boys home from Iraq,
And get Bush OUT !!!!!!