President Bush announced Wednesday afternoon that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will be resigning his post, to be replaced by former CIA Director Robert Gates ("Rumsfeld quitting as defense secretary"). Rumsfeld has faced ever-increasing calls for his resignation since the start of the War in Iraq. In the past week alone he concluded the deadliest month this year for U.S. troops in Iraq; was called to resign by the Army Times, Navy Times, and other military newspapers; and witnessed a Democratic takeover of the House and possibly the Senate. Many view the Democrats' success as a signal of Americans' losing confidence in the Bush administration's war strategy. Bush firmly stated that Vice President Cheney will continue to serve the rest of his term, and assured the people of Iraq that America will continue to stand with them as they take the "difficult steps toward democracy and peace."
What does Bush's acceptance of Rumsfeld's resignation reveal about how the President interprets the results of yesterday's election? Is Bush answering calls for dramatic changes in strategy in Iraq?
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Ben-Menashe said he recognized several Americans already there, including
Robert Gates,
Robert McFarlane, Donald Gregg and George Cave, the CIA expert on Iran.
"Ten minutes later, [cleric Mehdi] Karrubi, in a Western suit and collarless white shirt with no tie, walked with an aide through the assembled group, bade everyone a good day, and went straight into the conference room," Ben-Menashe wrote.
"A few minutes later George Bush, with the wispy-haired William Casey in front of him, stepped out of the elevator. He smiled, said hello to everyone, and, like Karrubi, hurried into the conference room. It was a very well-staged entrance. My last view of George Bush was of his back as he walked deeper into the room – and then the doors were closed."
Ben-Menashe said the Paris meetings served to finalize a previously outlined agreement calling for release of the 52 hostages in exchange for $52 million, guarantees of arms sales for Iran, and unfreezing of Iranian monies in U.S. banks.
The timing, however, was changed, Ben-Menashe said, to coincide with Reagan's expected Inauguration on Jan. 20, 1981.
"It was such a secret arrangement that all hotel records of the Americans' and the Israelis' visits to Paris – I cannot speak for the Iranians – were swept away two days after we left town," Ben-Menashe wrote.
Ben-Menashe testified under oath before Congress about seeing Bush and other Republicans in Paris in October 1980. Gates, McFarlane, Gregg, Cave, Karrubi and Bush have all denied participating in the meeting, although their alibis were either shaky or were never checked out by the House Task Force in 1992."
The President, as he said, interprets the results of the election this way: it was a "thumping". It certainly is good to see that the message the American people sent has been received, loud and clear.
As for question #2, "Is Bush answering calls for dramatic changes in strategy in Iraq?" Too early to tell, but we can hope. I think he will be much more receptive to listening to some other ideas, and with Rumsfeld out of the loop, thank God, there is a chance that some truly meaningful course changes are in the offing. Looking forward to hearing the recommendations of the the study group Jim Baker is heading up.
in any case, bush probably got an earful from the conservatives and the election only punctuated it.
we'll have to see how the new guy does.