08 | November | 2006 | Et Cetera: Publick and Privat Curiosities

President Bush Dumps Donald Rumsfeld

November 8, 2006 — Patrick Zimmerman

I’m Definitely Going to Keep Donald Rumsfeld on as Secretary of Defense…

BUSH: A VERY BITTER LOSER

Just a few days ago, President Bush emphatically declared in an interview with reporters that he was definitely going to keep Donald Rumsfeld on as Secretary of Defense for the rest of his term. However, many have suggested that one can seldom count on Mr. Bush’s “promises” to stand the test of time. In fact, just one day after Tuesday’s sweeping Democractic election victories, Mr. Bush announced that he and Rumsfeld had agreed, “after a series of thoughtful conversations,” that it was time for Mr. Rumsfeld, a magnet for criticism about management of the war, to go. While senior White House officials said that the move had been discussed for weeks, the timing of the announcement left no doubt that Mr. Bush wanted to give the American public the impression that he has discovered “a new capacity” to be more flexibile in dealing with an unpopular war that has come to define his presidency and the Republican administration.

Faced with the collapse of his Republican majority in Congress, President Bush responded swiftly on Wednesday by announcing the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and vowing to work with Democrats “to find common ground” on the war in Iraq and domestic issues. With Democrats having captured control of both the House of the Senate, Mr. Bush sounded alternately testy and conciliatory at a White House news conference, stating that he was “obviously disappointed.” He portrayed the results as a cumulative “thumping” of Republicans and conceded that as head of the party, he bore “some” responsibility.

Reacting to President Bush’s action, some GOP officials on and off Capitol Hill were infuriated. Members and staff who were still reeling from Tuesday’s election rout were said to be furious about the administration’s decision to dump the controversial defense secretary one day after their historic loss, they said in a series of interviews about the election results. “The White House said keeping the majority was a priority, but they failed to do the one thing that could have made a difference,” one House GOP leadership aide said Thursday. “For them to toss Rumsfeld one day after the election was a slap in the face to everyone who worked hard to protect the majority.”

On the other hand, Nancy Pelosi, the woman who is set to become the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, already confirmed to have been won by the Democrats, welcomed Mr. Rumsfeld’s resignation.

In addition to Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, the President’s chief political strategist, is coming under fire. Today, President George W Bush prompted shocked “ooohs” at a press conference when asked whether he was winning a reading contest with Mr. Rove. “I’m losing. I obviously was working harder on the campaign than he was.”

In January, Karl Rove, gave a speech that symbolized his breezy confidence about the future for the Republican party. In that speech he claimed that Republicans had gone from being “a minority party with little influence to one that is broad and inclusive, self-assured and optimistic, forward-leaning and dominant.” If Mr. Rove looks guilty of political grandiosity, his mastery of polling also looks in doubt. He openly called the election all-wrong. In mid-May, he told the American Enterprise Institute, “Republicans will have ten more seats.” Even last week, he bragged about his skills as a data junkie, confidently citing obscure tracking data, and predicting retention of both Houses as he kept up his jovial bantering, dispensing punchy quotes to reporters.

Mr. Rove, a voracious reader of political history, should have paid more attention to his cautionary tale in his January speech of what can happen to a dominant party, when its thinking becomes ossified, an entitlement mentality takes over and political power becomes an end in itself. While he had been referring to Democrats, he actually picked the wrong party.