Rumsfeld Must Go

article posted April 5, 2006 (web only)

Simon Maxwell Apter

Former CENTCOM chief Gen. Anthony Zinni recently joined the lengthening list of those calling for Secretary Rumsfeld's removal, echoing an appeal first made in The Nation three years ago. Here are selections from the secretary's most notable critics over the last three years, from A to Zinni.

The Nation, April 21, 2003

Many political figures activists and organizations--including Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and MoveOn.org--are calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. We took that step more than a year ago, and in our edit pointed to Rumsfeld's rejection of concerns about treatment of Afghan and Al Qaeda prisoners. Rumsfeld's departure would be only the beginning, not the end, of a full accounting of who was responsible for prisoner abuses in Iraq and elsewhere. Fully mindful of that fact, we join the call for his resignation.
The Defense Secretary should resign--now. Although George W. Bush is ultimately responsible for the catastrophe unfolding in Iraq, it is Donald Rumsfeld who is the Cabinet member directly charged with planning and carrying out the nation's wars. He should take with him those two self-inflated policy warriors, Paul Wolfowitz (his deputy) and Richard Perle (head of the Defense Policy Board until his venality was exposed). Together with Vice President Cheney, they were the principal architects of this venture, in pursuit of which they have deceived the American people, misled US soldiers whose lives are at risk, scorned the United Nations and defied international law.