Rumsfeld Steps Down; Gates To Succeed Him

Bush: Defense Secretary To Be Replaced By Ex-CIA Chief

(CBS/AP)  Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Rumsfeld was not leaving immediately. Rumsfeld planned to deliver a speech on the global war on terrorism at Kansas State University on Thursday.

Democrats have long called for Rumsfeld's resignation, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss, but just last week President Bush told reporters that he expected Rumsfeld, 74, to remain until the end of the administration's term. And although Mr. Bush said Wednesday that his decision to replace Rumsfeld was not based on politics, the announcement of a Pentagon shake-up came on the heels of Tuesday's voting.

With his often-combative defense of the war in Iraq, Rumsfeld had been the administration's face of the conflict. He became more of a target — and more politically vulnerable — as the war grew increasingly unpopular at home amid rising violence and with no end in sight.

"I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof," Rumsfeld said, invoking the words of Winston Churchill.

Gates ran the CIA under the first President Bush during the first Gulf war. He retired from government in 1993.

He joined the CIA in 1966 and is the only agency employee to rise from an entry level job to become director. A native of Kansas, he made a name for himself as an analyst specializing in the former Soviet Union and he served in the intelligence community for more than a quarter century, under six presidents.

Numerous Democrats in Congress had been calling for Rumsfeld's resignation for many months, asserting that his management of the war and of the military had been a resounding failure. Critics also accused Rumsfeld of not fully considering the advice of his generals and of refusing to consider alternative courses of action.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri — the top Democrats on the Armed Services committees — said the resignation would be a positive step only if accompanied by a change in policy.

"I think it is critical that this change be more than just a different face on the old policy," Skelton said.

Some servicemembers are hopeful for a change. CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan spoke to commanders on the ground in Iraq.

"Perhaps the most damning reaction I've heard is that this comes three years too late," Logan said.

Rumsfeld has served in the job longer than anyone except Robert McNamara, who became Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy administration and remained until 1968. Rumsfeld is the only person to have served in the job twice; his previous tour was during the Ford administration.

Rumsfeld had twice previously offered his resignation to President Bush — once during the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in spring 2004 and again shortly after that. Both times the president refused to let him leave.

Gates took over the CIA as acting director in 1987, when William Casey was terminally ill with cancer. Questions were raised about Gates' knowledge of the Iran-Contra affair, and he withdrew from consideration to take over the CIA permanently. Yet he stayed on as deputy director.

Then-National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, who has been a critic of the younger Bush's policies, asked Gates to be his deputy in 1989 during the administration of George Bush's father. The elder President Bush, a former CIA Director himself, asked Gates to run the CIA two years later.

Gates won confirmation, but only after hearings in which he was accused by CIA officials of manipulating intelligence as a senior analyst in the 1980s. Throughout the time period, Gates also became close friends with the Bush family.

"The fact that he is going to that circle, and he has been very reluctant to do that in the past," suggests to me that he is looking to reevaluate Iraq, CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer reports.

Melvin Goodman, a former CIA division chief for Soviet affairs, testified that Gates politicized the intelligence on Iran, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. "Gates' role in this activity was to corrupt the process and the ethics of intelligence on all of these issues," Goodman testified.

The Bush administration's use of intelligence on Iraq has been a central theme of criticism from Democrats who say the White House stretched faulty intelligence from U.S. spy agencies to justify invading Iraq in 2003.

Gates has taken a much lower profile since leaving government. He joined corporate boards and wrote a memoir, "From The Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War." It was published in 1996.

Gates is a close friend of the Bush family, and particularly the first President Bush. He became the president of Texas A&M University in August 2002. The university is home to the presidential library of the elder Mr. Bush.

[pakaal]

machnews,

I get the whole part about "Know it all Pelosi" but what's wrong with Gates? He has long-time experience in government, experience in Iraq, ex-CIA so he knows the intelligence community, has worked with six Presidents.... He seems like a reasonable choice for the job.

[highthis]

It's a good thing that we have a new sectary Defense. We need a new guy for this postion.

[tinker3478]

What would make the last couple of days even sweeter is Congress taking up the impeachment of the Scoundrel from Crawford come next year. But face it-what would be gained? We can't bring back our dead but maybe we can bring home our troops. Democrats and Republicans need to put aside the pettiness and the name-calling, and see if we can rebuild this country.

[usawatchman]

sorry wrong board

[usawatchman]

checks and balances

We may have to take up ARMS and
run those CRIMINALS out
ONE GOVERNMENT BUILDING AT A TIME

===========

"culture of corruption." insinuates CRIMES have been COMMITTED
and NOW people need to go to JAIL...

MY Constitutional rights were VIOLATED
by the highest court in the land (and those below it)

==========
The COURTS and GOVERNMENT are CORRUPT
==========
It better NOT be BUSINESS a USUAL

WE NEED IMPEACHMENT SOME OF THESE JUDGES
in the SUPREME and other US COURTS

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
James B. Veasaw v. Cari M. Domingues,et al.
No: 05-1467

Securities and Exchange Commission was giving away and/or selling Govt. jobs, and Government employees commit CRIMES against the
people (me and others) Perjury, mail/wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence...etc and the COURTS
(US SUPREME COURT!) were helping them it COVER UP..!
=============
Do you know why they call it CIVIL COURT ?

Because Gentlemen thought there had to be
a better way to settle disputes other than with VIOLENCE

When the COURTS are CORRUPT
You no longer have a CIVIL SOCIETY

You now have a TYRANNY..

[usawatchman]

Well now we're down to two WMD, Dubya and Dead Eye ***. I am proud of what the American people did Tuesday, great job and don't let your guard down, we may have to do it again in two years.
Posted by mjv2944 at 08:29 AM : Nov 09, 2006

mjv2944

We may have to take up ARMS and
run those CRIMINALS out ONE BUILDING AT A TIME

===========

%u201Cculture of corruption.%u201D insinuates CRIMES have been COMMITTED
and NOW people need to go to JAIL...

MY Constitutional rights were VIOLATED
by the highest court in the land (and those below it)

==========
The COURTS and GOVERNMENT are CORRUPT
==========
It better NOT be BUSINESS a USUAL

WE NEED IMPEACHMENT OF SOME OF THESE JUDGES
in the SUPREME and other US COURTS

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
James B. Veasaw v. Cari M. Domingues,et al.
No: 05-1467

Securities and Exchange Commission was giving away and/or selling Govt. jobs, and Government employees commit CRIMES against the
people (me and others) Perjury, mail/wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence...etc and the COURTS
(US SUPREME COURT!) were helping them it COVER UP..!
=============
Do you know why they call it CIVIL COURT ?

Because Gentlemen thought there had to be
a better way to settle disputes other than with VIOLENCE

When the COURTS are CORRUPT
You no longer have a CIVIL SOCIETY

You now have a TYRANNY..

Wow Don Rumsfeld resigns as secretary of defense and President Bush nominated bob gates as the new secretary of defense. He nominated the wrong person , He should of nominated Know it all Nancy Pelosi as the new secretary of defense. That way the country can see what a fool she really is and she wouldn't be speaker of the house!

Wow Don Rumsfeld resigns as secretary of defense and President Bush nominated Bob Gate as the new secretary of defense , He nominated the wrong man for the job. Maybe he should of nominated know it all Nancy Pelosi and her growd of war time criticizers as the new secretary of defense. Then she would not be speaker of the house and the nation can see what a real fool she is!

[grumpas]

I have to agree with ozilot. We made one step to a better government in electing people of the opposite party! That has been the problem for 6 long years now! One party has ruled and ruled badly! That isn't democracy there is no place for the opposing side to even be heard! Now we need to work on getting more American's involved in the process. Now we need to see that people are educated enough to vote intelligently! I personally think all the hot-botton or wedge issue's needs to be gotten out of the election process. To many times they are used to grab votes the candidate would not otherwise get! People need to concentrate on what's good for the country not petty issues that aren't even issues!

[politikz]

Great job, Mr.Rumsfeld! I wish you could finish out your tour of duty in Iraq. Help out the fellas that you and Dubya sent over. Oh well. Don't worry. Where you and some of your pals will be heading, it gets alot hotter!!

[mjv2944]

Well now we're down to two WMD, Dubya and Dead Eye ***. I am proud of what the American people did Tuesday, great job and don't let your guard down, we may have to do it again in two years.

[exusmcsgt]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Bush, as late as last week was screaming to the rooftops that Rumsfeld would stay.

Yesterday, according to CNN, Bush said while Rumsfeld's resignation had been in the works for a period of time, he held off any announcement until Wednesday because he "didn't want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days" of the election campaign.

He and Rummy realized after getting their butts kicked that a Democrat-controlled Congress would bust Rummy down to private in 5 seconds flat.

If Bush had been in touch enough with the electorate he would have dumped Rummy like a hot potato last week to de-fang the electorate's frustration and hold on to a few more seats in Congress.

But then, he's never been in touch......

[djermano]

Having a military is the first sign of defeat. You are afraid that you will be taken over or occupied. Those who use guns to persuade or defend are cowards. It is the idea... that men can live without violence. Achieving its goal certainly involves absorbing the blows of violence. Militaries will never bring honor or success to any country. They are a drain of productivity and creation.

The only bad men in the world are the men who think they are not bad hiding behind a national gun. Guns don't kill people. People do!

The world is violent because they think militaries are power. In fact it is quite the opposite.

[djermano]

Having a military is the first sign of defeat. You are afraid that you will be taken over or occupied. Those who use guns to persuade or defend are cowards. It is the idea... that men can live without violence. Achieving its goal certainly involves absorbing the blows of violence. Militaries will never bring honor or success to any country. They are a drain of productivity and creation.

The only bad men in the world are the men who think they are not bad hiding behind a national gun. Guns don't kill people. People do!

The world is violent because they think militaries are power. In fact it is quite the opposite.

[juliehg-2009]

Yes, Mr. President, we can accept defeat. Sucking it up, telling the truth, and assuming responsibility are real character builders. You should try it sometime.

sawfingers, don't believe everthing you read at globalsecurity.org, hell they can't even put together a website without errors

[sawfingers]

I suggest you go to GlobalSecurity.org for an objective assessment of the war in IRaq and why we are there. So many comments here are not based on fact, but subjective and acriminous rhetoric.

[frankly6]

Don't olive branches have thorns anyway?

[radiob-2009]

Closer scrutiny will prove that the olive-branch comes with poisoned leave. Or is a prickly rose bush instead good to the eye but dangerous to the body.Better keep this guy out in the sagebrushes of Texas where he belongs.

[crloftin]

I was just saying that the Sandinistas in Nicaragua never had a chance the first time around, because of the low intensity warfare of the Reagan White House. At that time Gates was nominated to succeed Casey at the CIA, only to withdraw his nomination when questioning began about his knowledge of the Iran-Contra affair. North was in Managua to support Pastora%u2019s campain against Ortega. Pastora was one of the leaders of the Nicaraguan Contras. Maybe this time would be different. It's not from the "Mountains to the Ministries" for the Sandinitas anymore, and Daniel Ortega professes to have mellowed although he is openly untrusting of unbridled-capitalism. I%u2019m aware that Venezuela%u2019s Chavez has given inexpensive petroleum to Nicaragua to support Ortega%u2019s campaign, but Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, accepted low-cost donations of oil from Venezuela for impoverished families from the Bronx last winter. Bloomberg is an extremely popular mayor and businessman%u2013and is the only Republican for whom I%u2019ve ever voted%u2013and who more recently helped Senator Lieberman to retain his seat in the Senate. Who are we to judge Ortega for doing essentially the same: accepting oil from Venezuela for impoverished Nicaraguans? Gates is a nominee that the Democrates should oppose, despite appearing to turn their backs on a proffered olive-branch by Bush. Closer scrutiny will prove that the olive-branch comes with poisoned leave.