VDH: Don't Blame Rumsfeld

[Naturalized-Texan]

Don't Blame Rumsfeld (http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDFjODFhM2Q0MzVkYjRiMGM3NjIyOGY5YzBhYTBhMjU=)

I don't see how removing the Secretary of Defense helps either the country or the Republicans, especially given the pre-election vote of confidence in his full tenure. He was on the right track reforming the military; the removal of the Taliban and the three-week victory over Saddam were inspired.

So we are down to his supposed responsibility for the later effort to stop the 3-year plus insurgency, whose denouement is not yet known. Rumsfeld's supposed error that drew such ire was troop levels, i.e., that he did not wish to repeat a huge presence in the manner of Vietnam, but sought to skip the 1964-1971 era morass, and go directly to the 1972-5 Vietnamization strategy of training troops, providing aid, and using air power.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Rumsfeld was in many respects a fine Secretary of Defense. He took on the military establishment, demanding that it once and for all transform itself into a lighter, more versatile fighting machine in order to more effectively respond to the new demands of the post-Cold War world. The breathtakingly fast and efficient campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq accomplished with high tech munitions and light, versatile, fast-moving ground forces demonstrated the rightness of his paradigm. He also did a fine job of rebuilding our military after eight years of Democratic neglect. Nevertheless, he failed to adequately manage and/or adjust his paradigm to the occupational phase of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, a phase that inevitably requires more boots on the ground. Further, Bush failed to aggressively confront Syria shortly after toppling Sadam.

Bush should have accepted Rumsfeld's resignation about three months after it was first offered.

Accepting it now on the heels of the Democratic sweep, is way too late. Just the same, better late than never. The Democrats are determined to go after the Administration hard. It's better that Rumsfeld is gone. Now, when they do, a good many Americans will wonder why they do so.

I know I won't be getting any fan mail over this one.

[DeclinetoState]

Will the Democrats be demanding Condi Rice's resignation next?

[Jag Wife]

I don't know about you all, but I'm registering at the local firing range and getting some shooting practice in. Just in case the powers that now be decide to take advantage of Helo vs. City of New London.