The Liberal Patriot

The Face of Bush’s Pentagon - Why Rumsfeld Won't Resign

J.G. Schwam - May 16, 2004

Donald Rumsfeld is the face of George W. Bush’s Pentagon. He is the face of Bush’s preventative war doctrine. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and former Defense Policy Chairman Richard Perl were motivating forces behind it. If not Rumsfeld they are the only ones that could carry it out with a straight public face. Yet both are tainted. Perl, stepped down from his position amid an influence peddling, conflict of interest scandal involving military contracts with the now defunct Global Crossing. Perl was also liked to the discredited GOP scheme to lease air refueling tankers from Boeing. Boeing committed to invest $20 million with a venture capital firm where Perle was a principal. Perl won’t get confirmed.

Nor would Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, statements like "for bureaucratic reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on" and others have made Wolfowitz a firebrand for criticism. In a memo on denying non-Iraq war coalition partners the ability to bid on contracts to rebuild Iraq Wolfowitz said it was necessary to limit eligibility to protect "the essential security interests of the United States." Officials said this language was added because it was needed, under federal law, to provide a rationale when government contracting was not conducted in "full and open" competition.

Donald Rumsfeld approved a plan that brought unconventional interrogation methods to Iraq to gain intelligence about guerrillas, ultimately leading to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, the New Yorker magazine reported yesterday. Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh reports in this week's issue. Things will only get worse for Rumsfeld when Hersh’s article hits the streets next week.

Few others but the Project for A New American Century’s authors of its global domination tome, “Rebuilding Americas Defenses”, Donald Kagan, Garry Schmitt and Thjomas Donnelly would be willing to head the Pentagon amidst the downward spiral occurring in Iraq today. It would however, be their obscurity and the lightning rod PNAC’s seminal paper has become that would draw a massive barrage in congress against them.

George W. Bush stepped into a perpetual war policy and battle plan for winning in Iraq doomed to fail. He stepped with both feed into the hole that was Rumsfeld’s fatalistic battle plan. Fortunately for Rumsfeld, unfortunately for everyone, Bush is stuck with him.

There is no one else that can step into the SecDef’s shoes, the dirtiest pair of shoes in America.

Secretary of the Army, Thomas White, the target of public disgust from nearly day one of his appointment for his Vice Presidency at Enron was fired last April 25^th by Rumsfeld when his alleged intentions to go behind his boss’s back over Rumsfelds decision to cancel the Army’s Crusader self-propelled Howitzer program. The position remains unfilled. White, a 1967 West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, was trained as an armor officer. He rose to brigadier general during 23 years in the Army. He became Army secretary on May 31, 2001. The strong willed White had a nearly continually tenuous relationship with Rumsfeld since their appointment.

Gordon R. England Bush’s Secretary of the Navy, newly re-appointed to back to SecNav from his position as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, a former General Dynamics executive would be the logical appointee to SecDef. The buzz is however that England wouldn’t touch the position with Rumsfeld’s ten foot pole.

The Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. James G. Roche a presumed, Democrat who has held several executive positions with Northrop Grumman Corp., including Corporate Vice President and President, Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector is not likely willing to step into Rumsfeld’s Iraqi snake pit.. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 1984, he was Democratic Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee

To dismiss Rumsfeld Bush would have to trot out some yet unknown military industrial complex executive. It would not be easy to find someone. Executives do not like to step into positions doomed to fail before they succeed. The only possible pre-election course to “succeed” in Iraq would be a massive escalation of hostilities. Which is most likely planned. Karl Rove however would probably hold off on plans that would result in massive Iraqi and increased collation casualties before the election and just ride it out and attempt to mitigate the current torture and insurgency problems until the election.

Rumsfeld is the face of Bush’s military. He is the face of Bush’s Pentagon or at least the only one still standing. Rumsfeld will stay or Bush will loose face. They think they can ride it until November, they have to. Rumsfeld will stay.

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