in your opinion, did bush administration advisors miscalculate on timing for rumsfeld resignation???
814848
Yes, yes, yes.\nAlthough it wouldn't have changed my vote [no one in their right mind would vote for Katherine Harris], I think many independents and moderate Democrats would have felt better about voting Republican if Rummy had been canned ahead of the elections.
329882
No Mr Bush manages 2 louse up all of his own accord.\nU should watch the Unworthy advisors panic when he ad-libs...........................................................Oh no his mouths open & we haven't speech-coached him yet.\nBlast
1055399
All I've ever heard was that Bush had information placed on his desk and did not bother to read anything because he was on his way out the door to start on his vacation.\nJust think for a minute or two about what could have been avoided if he would have put his vacation on hold for another couple of minutes.\nJust think again about the innocent lives that wouldn't have parrished if he had taken his job seriously and set his vacation aside for a few minutes.\nJust think again about the war in Iraq that might not be going on right now if he had read the information that was handed to him and he just left it sitting on his desk unopened waiting for him to return from his vacation.\nI have heard this about how he avoided any new work until he returned from his vacation and what does that say about how important his job really is anyway.\nYes, this is fact and not fiction and yes it is very serious too/
698760
Neither. The only thing that will happen is bush will put another person who thinks like Rumsfeld in his place. There will be no change in that aspect. However, the person taking his place has to deal with a Democratic Congress, so now he needs to come up with an exit strategy. Rumsfeld didn't feel like dealing with it. That's why he "cut and ran"...
602243
Bush didn't keep his word is the correct answer to the question.
881655
I think his biggest mistake was listening to rumsfeld and standing by him all that time. rumsfeld was too impressed by our precision with the shock and awe campaign that he thought the rest was going to be a piece of cake....wrong\nwe were ill equipped on the ground and no one wanted to acknowledge it
915749
I'm not a dem, but will answer anyhow.  Bush is commander in chief, so he will decide the military action...and we will see how his new secretary will advise.  They know better than any politicians how to win this war.  I wonder, though, that if they decide to change the course of action and fail, will the american people blame the dems?  I don't think that anything is going to change drastically before the next two years.  To do so would be political suicide...unless they decide that they will give clear goals and time frames to accomplish them.  i believe that if you give people deadlines, they try harder to meet goals.  That's how it works in the business world...
857394
Sorry, but Rumsfeld resigned Wednesday, after the elections. I seriously doubt his replacement, Robert Gates, is any better. After all, he was appointed by Bush too.\nFoley (FL) resigned from his post a couple weeks before elections. \nMakes you wonder, who's next. Cheney? Bush? \nMore to come in the next few months, if the Democrats have a backbone and push for invesigations.
765438
It's utterly mind boggling that there was no plan in place for the post invasion of Iraq, but it blatantly obvious that's indeed what occurred. It's almost as if the Bush administration did this intentionally. And now were seeing the results of this administrations ineptness. How sad.
809168
Considering exit polls showed more people were concerned with the recent scandals than with the war, probably not...but it might have been closer.\n\nI have to admit I'm surprised to see changes happening so quickly though... apparently Dubya is not actually a president-shaped cd player with 'stay the course' stuck on infinite repeat after all. I mean this man has been beating his head against this particular brick wall for years now... while some 6 billion or so people throughout the world said 'Uh, buddy... you fu.cked up and this is NOT actually working' and all it took was a thorough official trouncing of the GOP to get him to realize that maybe SOMEbody ought to be looking for actual solutions. So I guess he's not entirely brain dead after all, but it still bears mentioning that my eleven year old niece was able to figure out that Iraq wasn't going very well quite some time ago.\n\nOf course it remains to be seen if anybody can really pull our collective American butts out of this mess, but at least we have some hope.
85473
jng, they have been in office five years and just shy of two months.  Far cry from nearly eight years.  Anyway, slightly humorous, nothing I would really bother telling anybody, though.
914578
it's funny that they came to some decisions yesterday after all the talks in the middle east. i think they were like me and said "Whoa"!!\nstubborn Bush is still saying no withdrawal. that idiot is going to get us killed. CNN said last night on Anderson Cooper that we would need over 400,000 troops to be victorious in Iraq. where are they going to come from? they said it too a major draft is the only way and that would take at least a year. so yes I think they are going to force Bush into a staged withdrawal and quite possibly his resignation when they get home if not before.
819980
I think he will be forced to resign. Rumsfeld seems to be out of the loop these days with the Bush Administration, which is an indication to me that he will be even more out of the loop after the elections.
972391
Let's see, Rummy ran away, (not sure why he resigned,) Cheney has become nearly invisible (have you seen him lately ?) It would have to be a tie between those two. I almost feel sorry for Bush at this point. It LOOKS like he's left holding the bag, so to speak. \np.s. - I don't recall "you" being an option. People on here are testy today.
808566
He's stepping down, now because the republicans lost the midterms. With the democrats in power, there could be all kinds of investigations and hearings in regard to the Iraqi war. Rumsfield would probably still have a job if republicans had faired better in the elections. Although, if the Bush Admin was in fact planing to get rid of Rumsfield no matter what and he resigned two weeks ago as you suggest the media would have had 2 weeks of field days. With none stop debate and commentary about it, for example: "Are Republicans responding to poor poll numbers by forcing Rumsfield's resignation?" or "Obviously a last ditch effort to save the elections" or "Once praised by Pres Bush, Rumsfield resigns" "Rumsfield resigns, due to Iraq war miss-steps?"  and on on on. And all people hear is Republican, President Bush, poor handling of the war, poor poll numbers, Rumsfield resigning. Doesn't look good, even if you support the resignation. One must also consider the Pro-War Republican base that supported Rumsfield retaining his office. It's never a good idea to piss over the base of your party just two weeks before an election, especially if poll numbers are low and voter turn out is vital. \n\nHowever, in hindsight perhaps your right, considering the election results. HOw much worse could it have been for the Republicans?
353974
I believe so.When five retired generals think he should go,that's a pretty good sign that he has not gotten the job done.Personally,I would have aked him to resign long before now.This war has been a farce.Our troops went in woefully unprepared for the combat they are now engaged in.We did not take the insurgents into consideration.Why not? Isn't that part of Rumsfeld's job? The sheer arrogance of this man is appalling.He ,like our president , will never admit to mistakes made.They just keep telling the American citizens to be patient.Baloney.There is no exit strategy now and who knows when we can expect any.We're in such a mess now that I don't know if there is a way out that will allow us to save face with the world or not.There is something wrong when practically all the president's cabinet and colleagues are at the center of controversy every time you turn on the television.
888024
I hope so....\nBut the reality is, Bush actually believes what he preaches, sad really. If he fires Rumsfeld, than he is publically admitting his mistake.\nOur only hope at this point, is that the voice of country is actually heard tonight.