Saturday, April 15, 2006

Rumsfeld’s popularity (or lack of popularity) among military brass, in fact, seems tied in large part to his designs on re-forming the military. And while there is undoubtedly some disagreement among military leaders about the best way to fight the war in Iraq (remember, certain generals and politicians assured us we’d need 250k ground troops in Afghanistan to avoid a “quagmire"), there can be no doubt that what the military has accomplished in five years under Rumsfeld’s leadership is quite impressive, from an historical standpoint. And should democracy take hold in Iraq and affect change in the region, Rumsfeld could well go down as one of our most successful Defense Secretaries ever.

For a few retired US generals to be calling for Rumsfeld’s resignation publicly even as we are embroiled in that battle sends a message to our enemies that the general’s believe we are losing. And, as everyone with a shred of intellectual honesty knows that not to be the case—that the only way we can lose is if the public will is sapped—calling for Rumsfeld’s ouster now not only sends the wrong message to Americans, but it likewise sends the wrong message to Iraqis, the vast majority of whom are optimistic about the direction of the country.