Interestingly enough, President Bush recently stated that Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, would be staying on through the duration of his administration. Yet, today November 8, 2006, less than twenty-four hours after Democrats took the House of Representatives in the midterm election the Secretary is stepping down.
Word has it that Donald Rumsfeld, seen as a contentious figure by some as he attempted to “transform” of the military, previously offered his resignation but the president declined it. If he was going to agree to accept it now, doing so before rather than after the election may have effected the outcome.
Today, Rumsfeld’s resignation is being called a “mutual decision.” It seems to be more of a sudden decision, yet the president said there had been discussion about it for nearly a month and especially over the last week. He said he didn’t make the announcement sooner because of the election and because he had not yet had time to confirm that the man he wanted to replace Rumsfeld would agree to take the job.
Robert Gates, current president of Texas A&M University, has been appointed to replace the outgoing Secretary. Bob Gates said he immediately accepted when the president asked him to “return to service.” He will have to be approved by the Senate, which still may go to Democrats once all votes are certified and recounted, but he seems to be someone many people consider up to the task. Mr. Gates has a great deal of previous experience, as a former Deputy National Security Advisor and then former CIA Director during the first war in Iraq.
The president talked about a “fresh perspective” and “fresh eyes” being necessary for the direction of the War on Terror. While change can be good, it was touching to watch Donald Rumsfeld give an emotional farewell to the troops. He is very proud of every member of our armed forces, as he should be.
All we can do now is hope and pray that this change will be a positive one.