Rummy should be FIRED, not forced to resign.

[Pobeka]

I'm seeing this spun like crazy now, to the great detriment of our country's relationship to the world.

If Bush does not fire Rumsfeld, the rest of the world will see Bush as the weak, irresponsible president that he truly is, and know once again there truly is no accountability in the inner circle.

Rumsfeld must go, and it must be an act of punishment. If that makes Bush look bad, then so be it. But it's a very important distinction that must be made, and acted on to show the world our government has some integrity left.

[MikeG]

1. Fired New York Style with Hillary standing over him...

as he cleans out his desk. To make sure he doesn't steal anything.

[Pobeka]

6. or steal anything *else* !!

:thumbsup:

[stevedeshazer]

2. But he won't be fired

Bush doesn't have the guts. He really doesn't.

If he did, Rummy would have been gone in February. Bush will keep him on and may bring himself down in the process.

[Pobeka]

4. I know Bush is a wimp. But we must demand it.

That's what is erking me about all these damn polls "Should Rumsfeld retire?"

BULLSHIT! There is only one question to be asking in a poll:

"Should Bush fire Rumsfeld?"

If Rumsfeld retires, it will be a non-event in the eyes of the world.

[stevedeshazer]

7. Yeah, but if Bush fires Field Marshal Von Rumsfeld now,

after the toothpaste is already out of the tube, Bush will be lionized as a "powerful leader" who makes "tough decisions".

The polls are meaningless.

[Fenris]

3. That is not how those things are done. Remember Paul O'Neill.

Forcing someone's hand is much cleaner than firing them. And then again it isn't. But don't expect a firing.

[Pobeka]

5. This is different. And I don't expect a firing if we don't demand it. n/t

[Merlin]

8. Rumsfeld's (and Bush's) POLICIES directly caused these abuses.

At the outset of combat two years ago, Rumsfeld announced:

1. that detainees in Afghanistan "do not have any rights" under the Geneva Conventions, which are "outdated",
2. that there will be no formal hearings to determine whether detainees are prisoners of war or unlawful combatants (as GCs require),
3. that Army regulations on the interrogation of prisoners no longer apply,
4. that detainees may be held incommunicado,
5. that detainees may be deprived of legal representation, even if they are US citizens,
6. that--even after all of the previous standards of conduct had been waived--no new procedures were put in place to ensure against violations of conduct.

Those POLICIES produced the ABUSE!.

Rumsfeld must be fired.

[chaska]

9. BUSH should be fired. Stop letting the bastard off the hook.

Who cares about Rumsfeld? The more we concentrate on Rums the less we cancentrate on Bush. Last I checked Rummie wasn't running for president. Place blame where it belongs. Bush knew months ago and HE HAS LIED ABOUT IT. Let the world know in no uncertain terms Bush goes in November or he will be impeached.

[Pobeka]

10. Bush will get his due in November. Rumsfeld must be fired NOW.

This can't wait. Congress sure as hell is not going to impeach Bush (no matter how much more he deserves it than Clinton, no matter how much more principled it would be for the country). But Bush can fire Rumsfeld.

[RC]

11. As commander in Chief, impeach bu$h.

Tie him up through the elections. Go after cheney also. Use the Patriot act against them. I understand there is ample grounds to turn their there own shit against them.

[chaska]

12. please read excerpt below

The signal for an attack on Rumsfeld was given by Bush himself, in a rebuke to the Pentagon boss delivered at a closed-door meeting Wednesday in the White House, then promptly leaked to the press to provide fodder for the evening television news and front-page reports in the major daily newspapers Thursday.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/iraq-m07.shtml

[malatesta1137]

13. why should he be fired?

He's done his job well. The orders to torture came directly from Cheney & Bush. The Bush Crime Family wants to piss off the Arab world to the extreme, so they can justify their endless wars against oil rich nations.

Do you know how nudity is a major taboo in the Muslim world? Bush REALLY opened the gates of hell this time.