August 21, 2006

Lieberaman is Right, Fire Rumsfeld

Bush's greatest folly is his loyalty to his friends. It's a wonderful character trait to have if you're my neighbor. But if you're my President? Not so much.

There were two Iraq wars. The first one we won, and big. That was the war to oust Saddam Hussein. The war to send a message that in the post-9/11 world, do not think of even looking cross-eyed at the United States, or we will deal with you. Rumsfeld did a great job.

The second war, the war to establish democracy in Iraq, hasn't gone so well. The vast majority of American casualties have come from this war. The vast majority of Iraqi casualites have come from this war. This war is not going so well, it is not clear that one can ever succeed in nation-building, and it's not clear that this war is even worth fighting.

Rumsfeld should be fired. And it's not like I haven't been saying this for some time now.

So, Lieberman is right that Rummy has to go. What is not clear, though, is the inconsistency in the idea that Rumsfeld should be fired, yet the U.S. should stay the course in Iraq.

AP

Sen. Joe Lieberman, attacked by fellow Democrats as being too close to the White House on the Iraq War, on Sunday called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign but said the United States cannot “walk away” from the Iraqis.

The Commissar and Rick Moran have important related posts.

McQ and Mark Steyn have the counterpoint.