When I read the headline “Students benefit from changes in Washington” in the Nov. 15 issue of the Daily Forty-Niner, I was intrigued to read how a student at my alma mater thought the elections would affect others. Upon reading the article, I found not only the headline to be misleading, but also vital information regarding the recent resignation of the Secretary of Defense was unstated.
Donald Rumsfeld is not simply a “Player in the chaotic ‘War on Terror.'” He was the second highest commander of the U.S. armed forces. Aside from the president, only the Secretary of Defense has the power to deploy troops, dictate military strategy and manage the largest and most expensive bureaucracy in the nation. His recent woes are not as recent as Claussen depicted and are more significant than her article portrays.
For months, numerous active-duty military officers have called for Rumsfeld’s resignation because of his poor planning, execution and strategy in the war in Iraq. Active- duty officers who speak poorly of their superiors go against a great sense of tradition and respect instilled in the U.S. military to obey those with higher ranking, which is why such public criticism is significant.
The Navy Times, a respected military newspaper, also sent off sparks last week when it featured an editorial demanding that the president remove Rumsfeld from his seat. The article lays out numerous actions (or in-actions) Rumsfeld has made that hurt the armed forces in Iraq and military management as a whole.
The article explained that he lost all credibility with “uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large,” and he has essentially failed to lead the armed forces.
If Rumsfeld’s replacement, Robert Gates, former head of the CIA under George H. W. Bush, is confirmed there will likely be a change in how the military is managed from its second in command. The war in Iraq may take a change of course as well.
Katie Plourd, graduate student at the University of Boston and former managing editor for the Daily Forty-Niner
