Secretary of Pissing People Off...



Donald Rumsfeld says that he has offered his resignation to the President on several occasions, but that Bush has declined to accept. It looks like a military man is asking George to reconsider.

WASHINGTON - Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq until last November, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to reiterate criticisms he leveled earlier this week. Batiste said Rumsfeld had “failed to build the peace” in Iraq, and criticized “a leadership style which is intimidating, abusive. There was not a two-way street of respect.”

What a cry baby. Always complaining about how he wants things like respect from the Secretary of Defense. Ya know, you give these army guys an inch and they take a mile. Next thing you know he'll want body armor and an exit strategy. Anyway, this is just one kook ex-General who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Five other retired generals have also spoken out in recent days against Rumsfeld’s war strategy.

Oh.

But isn't criticizing the administration during wartime dangerous? I mean, won't the IslamoFascistMuslimaniacs sense our fear and uncertainty? We need to be bold, united, and focused. Any dissent undermines our cause, which is the defeat of evil wherever it may lurk. So I ask you: why do Generals Batiste, Zinni, Swannack, Riggs, Newbold, and Eaton hate America so much?

...at the White House, the 73-year-old Rumsfeld drew unflinching support. “Yes, the president believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job during a challenging period,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Thursday.

He then stuck his fingers in his ears and, addressing the Generals, said, "LALALALALALA!! I can't hear you! LALALA!!!" The reporters in the room did not have any follow-up questions.

But retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong rejected the idea that new leadership was needed at the Pentagon. “Dealing with Secretary Rumsfeld is like dealing with a CEO,” he told CNN. “When you walk in to see him, you’ve got to be prepared. You’ve got to know what you’re talking about. If you don’t, you’re summarily dismissed. But that’s the way it is, and he’s effective.”

Fair enough. Makes sense. I guess my question would be, what happens when Secretary Rumsfeld doesn't know what he's talking about? Does anyone pull him aside and say "Hey, Don. Here's the thing. You're full of shit. And we all know it. You've never been in the military and you're talking out your ass. So stop doing things that get my buddies killed, ok? Oh, and fuck you." Somehow I don't think that happens much.

Bush’s dilemma, said Michael O’Hanlon, a military analyst with the Brookings Institution, is that Bush “shares a lot of the responsibility for the key decisions on Iraq. Bush is implicated. For Bush to fire Rumsfeld is for Bush to declare himself a failure as president. Iraq is the main issue of his presidency,” said O’Hanlon, who supported Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and said he still supports the war.

Mr. Bush, don't feel the need to declare yourself a failure as President. We're all well aware of your shortcomings. Hell, I'd do you one better and declare you a failure as a human being. But don't let a little thing like pride keep you from letting Rummy leave. I know making good decisions doesn't come easily to you, but this one is a no brainer.

*Sigh*