JPod, I don’t disagree. But Rumsfeld was such a rallying cry. If POTUS & SECDEF were talking about SECDEF leaving – if it were clear he was going — I would have preferred they did it earlier thant the morning after an election slaughter for not just the talking-point reason. It would have made clear that the president is a with-it decider who knew this had to happen. Instead he insisted that Rumsfeld was staying — which he clearly wasn’t — and unnecessarily let the impression fester that he didn’t get how bad things were. If he really thought DOD needed fresh eyes months ago, it seems to me he should have done it months ago, for myriad reasons.
And as far as Rumsfeld goes, for what it’s worth, he wouldnt have been the election fall guy, which I think is unfair to a patriot, whatever his mistakes.