If you’ve watched the news reports (and read our posts that you can re-read in the chain linked post page below) you just knew this was coming:
White House officials are telling associates they expect Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to quit early next year, once a new government is formed in Iraq, sources said yesterday.
Rumsfeld’s deputy, Gordon England, is the inside contender to replace him, but there’s also speculation that Sen. Joe Lieberman – a Democrat who ran against Bush-Cheney in the 2000 election – might become top guy at the Pentagon.
It would make sense given the pointed praise about Lieberman from Vice President Dick Cheney and President George Bush in major speeches, Lieberman’s own comments, and news reports from Connecticut that quintessential independent politico Lowell Weicker might come out of public life retirement to run against him. The Daily News goes on to say:
The Daily News has learned that the White House considered Lieberman for the UN ambassador’s job last year before giving the post to John Bolton, a Bush adviser said.
“He thought about it for a week or so and finally said no,” the adviser recalled.
The DN reports that Rumsfeld has wanted out but he and Bush don’t want his exit to look forced. Once again, this administration has an issue with doing something that seems they’re giving in. It’s a potentially dangerous trait.
The DN, in fact, says that “Bush has told friends that Rumsfeld is a political liability, but the President has a history of sticking with his personnel baggage until an opportune moment.”
Rumsfeld isn’t just baggage these days; he’s way over the weight limit. Meanwhile, it’s clear from the DN piece that some Democrats think Lieberman is going to make the leap:
The mention of Lieberman’s name prompted some Democrats to whisper that he is lobbying for the job.
“Lieberman seems to be coordinating his statements on the war with the White House,” a Senate Democratic source said.
The source pointed to a news conference this week where Lieberman urged his party not to undermine Bush. The timing of Lieberman’s pitch, also this week, to form a bipartisan “war cabinet” to aid Bush was cited as well.
But Lieberman and Team Bush dismissed the rumors.
This kind of denial in politics is not unusual. If it’s in the cards it’ll take place.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.