Powerful vote of no confidence

This is actually 'old news' (by a couple of days, anyways), but still worthy of note.

From Army Times (selections from the article):

Editorial
Time for Rumsfeld to go

One rosy reassurance after another has been handed down by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “mission accomplished,” the insurgency is “in its last throes,” and “back off,” we know what we’re doing, are a few choice examples.

The strategy in Iraq has been to train an Iraqi army and police force that could gradually take over for U.S. troops in providing for the security of their new government and their nation.

But despite the best efforts of American trainers, the problem of molding a viciously sectarian population into anything resembling a force for national unity has become a losing proposition.

[C]olonels and generals have asked their bosses for more troops. Service chiefs have asked for more money.

And all along, Rumsfeld has assured us that things are well in hand.

Now, the president says he’ll stick with Rumsfeld for the balance of his term in the White House.

Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large. His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt.

This is not about the midterm elections. Regardless of which party wins Nov. 7, the time has come, Mr. President, to face the hard bruising truth:

Donald Rumsfeld must go.

This is a devastating indictment- because of its source- of a failed policy.

It was a policy that was a failure from its inception- from the moment it was decided to launch an unnecessary war of choice.

It is a failure for which not only Rumsfeld, but Bush, Cheney, and (now in hiding at the World Bank) Wolfowitz are responsible. It was a failure not only of strategy, but also of moral judgment.

We cannot undo that failure. We can only move forward with a new plan. That movement must be movement out of Iraq in an expeditious fashion. Dropping the phrase 'stay the course' is not enough. We must change course, and do so now.

GP