Pentagon Salutes Departing Rumsfeld

(CBS/AP)  He's been a lightning rod for criticism and called the architect of a disastrous war, but on Friday there were only words of praise as the Pentagon gave outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a full-honors farewell, reports CBS News correspondent Aleen Sirgany.

"This man knows how to lead, and he did. The country's better off for it," President Bush said.

The president called Rumsfeld "one of America's most skilled, energetic and dedicated public servants."

Departing after six years in office, Rumsfeld said he felt "a sense of urgency about the real challenges ahead" in a time of terrorism, unstable dictators and threats of nuclear proliferation.

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, awakened the world to the existence of a global extremist movement whose adherents believe it is their calling to kill Americans and other free people, Rumsfeld said.

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Watch Sirgany's report on Rumsfeld's departure.

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"Ours is also a world of many friends and allies, but sadly, realistically, friends and allies with declining defense investment and declining capabilities and, I would add, as a result, with increasing vulnerabilities," Rumsfeld said. "All of which requires that the United States of America invest more."

Recalling the collapse of the Soviet Union, Rumsfeld said, "That history did not happen by accident. And it most assuredly was not made by people sitting safely on the sidelines."

"Today, it should be clear that not only is weakness provocative, but the perception of weakness on our part can be provocative as well," the secretary said.

Mr. Bush made no mention of the often-harsh criticism of Rumsfeld – that he was arrogant, ignored the advice of critics and made many mistakes in his execution of the Iraq war.

"Every decision Don Rumsfeld made over the past six years, he always put the troops first, and the troops knew it," Mr. Bush said.

"We've been through war together. We have shared some of the most challenging moments in our nation's history," said the president.

But Rumsfeld's conduct of the war in Iraq became a political liability and Mr. Bush decided he needed a new defense chief and asked Rumsfeld to step down, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports. Robert Gates will be sworn in as the 22nd secretary of defense on Monday.

Mr. Bush announced Rumsfeld's departure the day after his Republican Party was jolted in the November elections.

"I've never worked harder for a boss and I've never learned more from one, either," said Vice President Dick Cheney, who began his career in politics as an intern for Rumsfeld in 1969.

Cheney praised Rumsfeld as a man with "near perfect recall. He has the way of asking you the one question you are not prepared for. And apparently he does not sleep."

Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the 2.4 members of the U.S. military joined in saluting "this incredible American, for his leadership and service to our country."

"He's a man of enormous commitment," Pace said. "He pushed us hard. The only person he pushed harder was himself."

A former Navy aviator, the 74-year-old Rumsfeld is the oldest defense secretary in U.S. history and the only person to have held the position twice. He was the youngest defense secretary when he began his first stint as defense chief in 1975.

Rumsfeld is the longest-serving member of the Bush cabinet, Knoller reports, but he leaves office less than two weeks shy of becoming the longest-serving secretary of defense. That distinction is held by Vietnam-era Robert S. McNamara, who left under a cloud of another war gone awry.

[randalds]

First of all if we leave Iraq right now it will finish dissolving into a horrible bloody civil war. If we leave Iraq in a year the same thing will happen. If we leave Iraq ten years from now the exact same thing will happen then too. The gift we gave them was not freedom, it was the gift of tearing open an age old wound and sprinkling salt and infection into it. That's all.

And the gas he used on the Kurds was supplied by the Reagan and Bush (the first) administrations. we sold them to him to use on the Iranians during that particular war but he also used them on the Kurds (who are NOT his own people in spite of the fact that they live within the boundaries of Iraq)

[Louisianaguy]

For the most part I agree that most Iragi's want peace.

But what do you think would happen if we were to pull out of Irag now? Do you think the country would just somehow discover peace? Or do you think the religious fanatics would continue to kill each other and other civilians so that their faction would control Iraq?

Iraqi's have killed more Iraqi's than any other force in the region, certainly more than what Americans have done to terrorist and extrememists in the region.



So how do you keep the minority from blowing the rest of the country up in a hell basket?

The silent peaceful majority most take a stand and dismiss those that have taken over their country by violence.

It was violence that gave Sudamm his absolute power and control over the country, not by his "peaceful" debates and speeches. Violence against his own people and terroritial neighbors.

Who was it that used chemical warfare in the mid'80s? Sudamm, that's who.

And do you know who he used them against? Answer: It wasn't Americans.

[randalds]

And Rummy Boy did not just "err". He sent 100's of thousands of people (including nearly 3000 of ours) to their deaths based on what he knew were lies. That's not a "mistake" that's murder. mass murder since, unlike what is believed by Bush and most of his supporters, Iraqis are human beings too. They have lives, hopes, dreams, want peace and to spend the rest of their lives living quietly with their families. And we murdered them.

[randalds]

I can't run for office as it be a waste of time and money since I'm an atheist. While I certainly have nothing against most people who do believe in a god of one kind or another (except those who feel the need to try to tell me how I have to live my life because the myth they believe in tells them I have to) I hate the ones who don't practice what they preach. Hmmm.....that would be most of them wouldn't it?

Oh and the founding fathers were fanatical about keep god (of any kind) out of the business of government and Ronald Reagen was senile even in his first term.

[Louisianaguy]

Another reason I'm an atheist. If he's the best god can do then god's not worth worshipping.
Posted by RandalDS at 12:36 AM : Dec 17, 2006

I never said he was the "best". I agree he made some mistakes, but to error is human, unless you're some kind of perfect supreme being. If that is the case, why don't you run for public office and serve your country instead of ducking cowardly in blogs. Sounds to me you're some kind of Monday morning quarterback who has never led in his life.




I pose a simple question to you.
The great founding fathers of our great country believed in who as a higher power? Certainly not some pagan or wiccan religions. It was the believe in GOD that steered these men to develop the greatest democracy the world has ever seen.

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under" --Ronald Regan

[grumpas]

You aren't to long on intelligence are you Louisianaguy?????????

[frankly6]

Why didn't he get a medal of freedom like the other icompetents in the Bush administration?

[randalds]

I thank God there are men like Rummy that are out there protecting our freedoms.

Posted by Louisianaguy at 12:17 AM : Dec 17, 2006

Another reason I'm an atheist. If he's the best god can do then god's not worth worshipping.

[Louisianaguy]

I thank God there are men like Rummy that are out there protecting our freedoms.

Somebody has to,

Certainly not the tree hugging liberal socialist Democrats!

[randalds]

And then we owe him a nice clean hanging...with a new rope included.