Rumsfeld Out Not Necessarily A Good Thing

The complete win of Democrats in Congress announced today was met with a huge change in the Bush White House. In a move many thought would never happen, "The Decider" allowed Donald Rumsfeld to resign as Secretary of Defense. And while this announcement was met with just as many cheers as the change of power in Congress, one cannot be too sure that it is a good thing Rumsfeld is out. It is important to consider who still runs the country. It is also important to recognize the figure that will take "Uncle" Don's place in the Pentagon. Knowing these things may lessen the cheering crowds in Washington and around the country.
If Donald Rumsfeld did anything for the opposition in Washington, it was making them look good. Every call for resignation was backed up by an accusation of the poor handling of the war. But as mentioned in previous entries, the poor job the Pentagon was doing was not entirely Rumsfeld's fault. Let's not forget that he tried to get out of the position many times over the last two years. He didn't want the job. He didn't feel he could handle it. He proved that by not handling it. If any anger should be expressed, it should be at Mr. Decider himself. He kept Rumsfeld in this long knowing full well he was doing poorly and wanted out. But that is the past.
Rumsfeld being gone can come back to haunt the Democrats and Americans at large. As mentioned before, Rumsfeld made the Democrats lack of a strategy for Iraq a non-issue. People were so focused on Rumsfeld that they paid no attention to the fact that no one in the Democratic Party has any idea what to do about the war. A change in power could mean that Democrats have to brainstorm an idea quickly. Otherwise the new kid on the block is going to make them look bad and spoil those election-winning highs.
But what is most disturbing of all, and also overlooked, is who will be replacing Rumsfeld. Robert Gates, a former CIA director under Bush I, will be appointed to the position. I don't think Democrats will oppose the appointment, but maybe they should. They should oppose it for the same reasons they tried to block Bush's judge appointments; Bush is about to have yet another insider in a position of power in Washington. This guy knows a lot. He was head of the CIA. He knows everything. To have him as Defense Secretary can only boost Bush's power over war decisions. We may be in big trouble.
For two years now, Bush has been talking about Iran and Syria. Gates has been praised as an expert in intelligence gathering. If you want another war, who better to head the Pentagon than someone who is an intelligence expert. If you want some dirt to start that war with, he is just a quick phone call away. And before I am labeled as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, consider who runs this country. The Democrats may run Congress, but Bush still runs the White House. The next two years are going to be very interesting. With Rumsfeld gone, the ball is now rolling on whatever Bush has planned next. And I hope we are ready.