Rumsfeld has no plans to quit
|
At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld sought to portray the recent public airing of grievances against him by some former Iraq war commanders and other retired generals as an inevitable consequence of his hard push for fundamental changes in the military establishment to fight the war on terrorism.
?When you make a decision, you make a choice, somebody is not going to like it,? he said. ?It?s perfectly possible to come into this department and preside and not make choices, in which case people are not unhappy, until about five years later when they find you haven?t done anything and the country isn’t prepared.?
Later Rumsfeld and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met to discuss the war on terrorism with about a dozen retired military officers who are regular commentators on TV network news shows.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who is a Fox News commentator, said in an interview afterward that the calls from other retired generals for Rumsfeld to resign came up only briefly. ?We didn?t waste the secretary?s time with that,? he said, adding that he puts little stock in the criticisms because they come mostly from two-star generals who were not senior enough in rank to work directly for Rumsfeld.
Of the six retired generals who have called for Rumsfeld to quit, four were two-stars, one was a three-star and one ? Anthony Zinni ? was a four-star who had retired before the Bush administration took office.
In the news conference, Rumsfeld cited several examples of tough choices he has made that have angered some inside the Pentagon. He mentioned a reorganization of the Army?s combat units that has been under way since the Iraq war began.
?By golly, one ought not to be surprised that there are people who are uncomfortable about it and complaining about it,? he said. ?It?s also true that I have a sense of urgency. I get up every morning and worry about protecting the American people and seeing if we are doing everything humanly possible to see that we do the things that will make them safe.?
Among the recent complaints against Rumsfeld is his management style. Admirers call him tough. Detractors say he is disrespectful.
Asked whether he would consider resigning to ease political pressure on Bush and Republicans in Congress, Rumsfeld said, ?No.?