What We REALLY Won: Rumsfeld Gone!!!

Well, we thought it would happen later than this. But Rumsfeld was forced out today. President Bush made the announcement at his press conference today:

As the commander in chief, I take these responsibilities seriously. And so does the man who served this nation honorably for almost six years as our secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Now, after a series of thoughtful conversations, Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that the timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon.Our military has experienced an enormous amount of change and reform during the last five years while fighting the war on terror; one of the most consequential wars in our nation's history. Don Rumsfeld has been a superb leader during a time of change. Yet he also appreciates the value of bringing in a fresh perspective during a critical period in this war. Don Rumsfeld's a patriot who's served our country with honor and distinction. He is a trusted adviser and a friend, and I'm deeply grateful to his service to our country. I've asked Bob Gates to serve as the secretary of defense. Bob is the former director of the CIA and current president of Texas A M University.

But, in case you are, like me, approaching an age where change is not always welcome, not to worry, it'll still be "full steam ahead" at the ol' WH Corral:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Does the departure of Don Rumsfeld signal a new direction in Iraq? A solid majority of Americans said yesterday that they wanted some American troops, if not all, withdrawn from Iraq. Did you hear that call? And will you heed it?

BUSH: I'd like our troops to come home too, but I want them to come home with victory. And that is a country that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.

I mean, I can understand Americans saying, Come home. But I don't know if they said: Come home and leave behind an Iraq that could end up being a safe haven for Al Qaida. I don't believe they said that.

And so I'm committed to victory. I'm committed to helping this country so that we can come home.

The President apparently sees it as perfectly reasonable to lie to the American public for political reasons -- not to protect us from attack, not to avoid spilling state secrets, not to save a life or even some money, but merely and exclusively to save some Republican congressional asses. Yes sir, that's our President:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.Last week you told us that Secretary Rumsfeld would be staying on. Why is the timing right now for this? And how much does it have to do with the election results?

BUSH: Right.

No, you and Hunt and Kyle (ph) came in the Oval Office and you asked -- Hunt asked me the question one week before the campaign, and basically it was: You going to do something about Rumsfeld and the vice president?

And my answer was, you know, they're going to stay on.

And the reason why is I didn't want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days of a campaign.

And so the only way to answer that question and to get you onto another question was to give you that answer.

Ohhh, that's alright, Mr. President, as long as you had such an important reason for lying to us. It's not like you really didn't believe that stuff you were saying about the Democrats and letting terrorists win, and all of that. I mean, we all know that no one would stoop to saying something like that for political purposes if they didn't really, truly, believe it in their hearts -- especially the President, right? Errr,

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.You said you're interested in changing the tone and committed to changing the tone in Washington. Just a few days before this election, in Texas, you said that Democrats, no matter how they put it, their approach to Iraq comes down to: Terrorists win, America loses. What has changed today . . . ?

BUSH: What's changed today is the election's over. And the Democrats won.

And, what about the "stay the course" stuff . . . . on or off, now that "the election's over" and all and you don't have that very good reason to lie to us?

QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you.You acknowledged that this is a message election on the war in Iraq. And so the American public today, having voted, will want to know what you mean in terms of course correction on Iraq, and particularly in light of this fact that last week the vice president pointed out that you and he aren't running for anything anymore and that it's, quote, Full speed ahead on Iraq.So which is it? Are you listening to the voters or are you listening to the vice president? And what does that mean?

BUSH: I believe Iraq had a lot to do with the election, but I believe there's other factors as well.

People want their Congress -- congressmen to be honest and ethical. So in some races, that was the primary factor.

There were different factors that determined the outcome of different races, but no question, Iraq was on people's minds. And, as you have just learned, I am making a change at the secretary of defense to bring a fresh perspective as to how to achieve something I think most Americans wants, which is a victory.

Somehow it's seeped in their conscience that, you know, my attitude was just simply Stay the course. Stay the course means let's get the job done, but it doesn't mean staying stuck on a strategy or tactics that may not be working. So perhaps I need to do a better job of explaining that we're constantly adjusting. And so the fresh perspective (ph) on what the American people here today is we're constantly looking for fresh perspective.

What is also important for the American people to understand is that if we were to leave before the job is done, the country becomes more at risk. That's what the vice president is saying. He said, if the job is not complete, Al Qaida will have safe haven from which to launch attacks.These radicals and extremists have made it clear they want to topple moderate governments to spread their ideology. They believe that it's just a matter of time before we leave so they can implement their strategies.

We're just not going to let them do that. We're going to help this government become a government that can defend, governor and sustain itself and an ally in the war on terror.

Hmmmm, I'm not sure, was he saying we are going to stay the course? Is it still "full steam ahead", or not? Here's a thought -- let's ask him to clear that up a little for us,

QUESTION: Your message today is not full speed ahead? Is that right...
BUSH: We got another man with the mike, David. Please.

Oh. Well, if someone else has the mike, then by all means, don't bother telling us what you are really planning to do in the central issue on the minds of every American, on the war which is costing us the blood of our children and creating a massive debt for the ones that you don't send over there to be killed. Nope, better to follow the procedure.

Miserable failure.