Rumsfeld quitting

[Kat Kanning]

Cool 

GOP officials: Rumsfeld stepping down
Defense chief has been a prime target of war critics in midterm elections
   

BREAKING NEWS
Updated: 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, a key target of Iraq war critics, is stepping down, Republican officials said on Wednesday.

Former CIA Director Robert Gates will replace him, Republican officials said.

Earlier today, a spokesman for Rumsfeld said he'd given no indication that he would step down in the wake of Democratic election gains. The spokesman said Rumsfeld would work with Congress on Iraq but added that the focus on stabilizing the country will remain the same.

This breaking news story will be updated.

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Holy crap!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228173,00.html

[Russell Kanning]

that has to be a good sign

[Forastero]

About damn time.

[DHouser]

that has to be a good sign

Definitely.  A former CIA Director is bound to have the kind of hands-on experience Rumsfeld lacked, especially regarding torture.

[Braddogg]

Definitely.  A former CIA Director is bound to have the kind of hands-on experience Rumsfeld lacked, especially regarding torture.

  Gates is going to do a better job torturing the brown folk?

Stanford Prison Experiment: those in power become paranoid and have to overassert their dominance over the weak.  Only a handful of people might be immune to this effect, and those kinds of people probably aren't the ones likely to get/want the power in the first place.  Even if Gates is an A-OK guy, he's gonna be a bastard once he gets control of the Defense Department.

[HippyChimp]

that has to be a good sign

Definitely.  A former CIA Director is bound to have the kind of hands-on experience Rumsfeld lacked, especially regarding torture.

he was not at any time the DCI.  He was, however, the DDCI for a few years, was nominated to become the DCI in early 1987, but withdrew the nomination after it became clear the Senate would reject it due to controversy about his role in the Iran-Contra affair.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates#Intelligence_career

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* error suppresses the urge to dig up Aggie jokes

[Atlas]

Great, one of the secret CIA f**ks is taking Rumsfeld's spot. Yawn. No change happening hear.

[Rocketman]

I'll sure miss those lively Rummy press conferences.   

[Lloyd Danforth]

Bush has a great sense of timing

[slim]

Oh yea Rumsfeld gets some power and implements a plan to invade a country then without any idea how to get out of the war and finally gets axed.

[Braddogg]

If Bush announced this decision on Monday, might the election have gone the other way?

[KBCraig]

* error suppresses the urge to dig up Aggie jokes

Right there with you. 

[KBCraig]

If Bush announced this decision on Monday, might the election have gone the other way?

No. Six months ago, maybe, at least if the war had taken a different turn. But any time in the last month, it would have been seen as weakness and appeasement. You can't appease the DNC; feeding them a sacrifice only makes them hungry for more.

Kevin