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Rumsfeld defends his tenure at Pentagon(Chicago Tribune (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) WASHINGTON _ Embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld went on the offensive Tuesday, suggesting that a group of retired generals who have criticized his management of the Iraq war are actually upset about changes within the military that have taken place during his five years as the Pentagon chief. During a press briefing, Rumsfeld declined to answer specific allegations made recently by more than a half dozen retired generals, including charges that he is incompetent and should resign. During the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal in 2004, Rumsfeld twice offered his resignation to President Bush. Rumsfeld suggested Tuesday that he would not offer his resignation, and that Bush "knows that there are no indispensable men." The president has faced repeated questions about Rumsfeld, including again on Tuesday. "I hear the voices," Bush said, "And I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense." Rumsfeld used most of his half-hour press conference to make a case for the changes that had taken place within the Pentagon during his tenure, and suggested that military leaders criticizing him now have not liked those new programs. "Change is difficult," Rumsfeld said. "It also happens to be urgently necessary." The defense secretary has become a lightning rod for criticism of the Iraq war, taking hits from both liberal critics and those within the military. But as a veteran of the Nixon and Ford administrations in the 1970s _ including a stint as defense secretary under President Gerald Ford _ Rumsfeld is accustomed to deflecting the verbal barbs of public life. But the highly personal nature of the statements of the retired generals _ including several who helped plan and lead forces in Iraq _ has struck a different tone. The allegations began with a March 19 New York Times opinion page article by retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who once was in charge of training Iraqi troops following the U.S. invasion, an effort that was slow to start and that has struggled to succeed. Eaton alleged that Rumsfeld failed to listen to senior military officers and instead launched an invasion with too few troops and misplaced assumptions about the Iraqi army. Rumsfeld, he wrote, has shown himself to be "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically, and is far more than anyone else responsible for what has happened to our important mission in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld must step down." Eaton's allegations were followed by comments from other highly-regarded retired officers, including Gen. Anthony Zinni, who once headed the U.S. Central Command with responsibility over Iraq, and Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack, who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq in 2003-2004. In his comments, Zinni, a retired Marine, said that Rumsfeld had made a series of "strategic mistakes" in Iraq that were reason enough for his departure. Swannack, who commanded the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq's tumultuous Al Anbar province, cited Rumsfeld's "absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam in Iraq." They and three other retired officers have criticized Rumsfeld's management style, and suggested that Rumsfeld and his staff often ignored the military. In reply, the Pentagon has forwarded a memo to civilian and military Defense Department leaders countering the generals' claims, according to the New York Times. Several generals have also defended Rumsfeld in articles and public statements, including Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his predecessor, retired Gen. Richard Myers. Several Rumsfeld supporters suggested that it was improper for generals to criticize civilian military leaders. (EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE) Pace again offered a defense of Rumsfeld on Tuesday, suggesting that military leaders had ample opportunity before and during the Iraq war to offer their opinions and dissent. "There are multiple opportunities for all of us with whatever opinions we have to put them on the table, and all the opinions are put on the table," said Pace, standing next to Rumsfeld. "But at the end of the day, after we've given our best military advice, somebody has to make a decision, and when the decision's made by the secretary of defense, unless it's illegal or immoral, we go on about doing what we've been told to do." (EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM) Rumsfeld told conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on Monday that the criticisms would soon fade. "Well, you know, this, too, will pass," Rumsfeld said, adding that, "I think about it and I must say there's always two sides to these things, and the sharper the criticism comes, sometimes the sharper the defense comes from people who don't agree with the critics." (END OPTIONAL TRIM) Rumsfeld said Tuesday that he would not respond to specific allegations about the job he's doing at the Department of Defense. He did, however, launch into a lengthy recitation of accomplishments during his tenure, which he said included retooling the national security personnel system, reorganizing the U.S. Army and converting the Pentagon from an industrial age organization to one of the information age. "I think it's important that we recognize that there's a lot of change going on, it's challenging for people, it's difficult for people," Rumsfeld said. "And we have to, I think, be reasonably tolerant with respect to things that get said." Still, the flap over Rumsfeld's performance has kept the Bush administration's troubles in Iraq at the forefront of public policy discussions. The Gallup Poll reported Tuesday that just 32 percent of those questioned recently agree with Bush's handling of Iraq, while 65 percent disapproved. ___ (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune. Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. _____ ARCHIVE PHOTOS on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): RUMSFELD For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail [email protected]. |