Beethoven.com

by **Nicole Marie** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 12:50 pm

It just broke... Rumsfeld just stepped down... Holy Cow!

Bitchin'... :chestbump:

by **Nicole Marie** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:13 pm

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11 ... index.html

by **Trumpetmaster** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:22 pm

Nicole Marie wrote:http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/rumsfeld.ap/index.html

Y.R.H.
Was going to post this as I just saw the report over here at work.....

It's about time!!!!
I never liked the way he handled things...

:jump:

by **jamiebk** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:08 pm

He served "at the pleasure of the President"...Who's next?

by **Trumpetmaster** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:13 pm

jamiebk wrote:He served "at the pleasure of the President"...Who's next?

Rice

Bush

by **Nicole Marie** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:24 pm

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11 ... index.html

"Former CIA chief Robert Gates, who headed that agency from 1991 until 1993, will be nominated to take over as defense secretary."

Anyone know anything about this guy?

by **Trumpetmaster** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:31 pm

Nicole Marie wrote:http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/rumsfeld/index.html

"Former CIA chief Robert Gates, who headed that agency from 1991 until 1993, will be nominated to take over as defense secretary."

Anyone know anything about this guy?

Sorry, I don't.....

by **Shapley** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:57 pm

Here's the Wikipedia entry on Robert Gates. View at your own risk, it is Wikipedia. Interesting that they had to shut down the edit feature due to vandalism.

by **mmichaelson** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 3:30 pm

Nicole Marie wrote:http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/rumsfeld/index.html

"Former CIA chief Robert Gates, who headed that agency from 1991 until 1993, will be nominated to take over as defense secretary."

Anyone know anything about this guy?

He's the president here at the university where I went to school and work. I believe he IS republican (most of us down here are), but he doesn't push an agenda and is fair about looking at all sides of things. That's about as much as I know. He's very nice - I've met him in person a few times.

by **OperaTenor** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:11 pm

So Shap, explain to me how this wasn't politically motivated. How GWB doesn't cave to public or politics in his policy decisions - how he only acts based on his personal convictions of what is right.

by **Shapley** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:16 pm

I don't know. Don hasn't called me since last week. Been too busy I suppose. Maybe we'll have coffee next week at Starbucks. Drop by, he might explain it himself.

V/R
Shapley

by **OperaTenor** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:23 pm

I like that, a humorous spin on wiggle.

by **Shapley** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:42 pm

It's not a wiggle. I don't know. I wasn't invited to the meeting, so I don't know what the reasoning was. It may have been politically motivated by the President. Mr. Rumsfeld may have insisted on turning in his resignation over the Presidents' objections. I don't know. They didn't even show up at the PNAC ice cream social, so I can't offer anything but pure speculation, and you wouldn't believe what I posted even if I did offer a plausible explanation.

by **OperaTenor** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:45 pm

So you stand by your previous statements that GWB doesn't do things based on public opinion and/or politics?

by **Shapley** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:55 pm

The President is a man of principle, but he is also a politician. He has to deal with the realities of doing business in Washington. When his party held the day, he was free to act solely on his principles and beliefs. The situation has changed. He now has to appease the party-soon-to-be-in-power, and that means he has to shape his cabinet and his policies in a way that will make his proposals more palatable.

When you don't need your neighbors help, you can keep the barking dog chained in your yard and tell them to go to Hell when they ask you to shut him up. If you need their help, the first thing you have to do is make friendly overtures towards them to gain favour. Mr. Rumsfeld clearly ruffled feathers over on the Democrat side, so getting him out of the yard is a first step towards bipartisan cooperation. If you want to call that 'playing politics' or 'bowing to public opinion' or whatever, fine. I call it dealing with the realities of the political climate.

V/R
Shapley

by **jamiebk** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:59 pm

In the words of "Queen"..."Another One Bites the Dust":
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15623951/

by **Shapley** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 6:02 pm

OT,

I guess I don't get the nature of your question. Are you suggesting that the President should remain steadfast and true in the face of very clear public oppositon to his current policies? You sound as if it is more important to you to see the President fail than to see the country succeed.

V/R
Shapley

by **shostakovich** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 6:54 pm

Correction: when the president has succeeded the country has failed.
Heck, did I even need to say this?
Shos :wink:

by **OperaTenor** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:13 pm

Shapley wrote:OT,

Are you suggesting that the President should remain steadfast and true in the face of very clear public oppositon to his current policies?

V/R
Shapley

No Shap, that's what you(along with Haggis) have stated very clearly, here, many times.

by **analog** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:42 pm

Shapley wrote:Here's the Wikipedia entry on Robert Gates. View at your own risk, it is Wikipedia. Interesting that they had to shut down the edit feature due to vandalism.

At the very end of the wikipedia article are two links, to a speech and an inteview he gave. He comes across as okay with good sense of humor.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... tes/1.html
https://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/ ... marks.html

Beethoven.com

Rummy is Gone!

Rummy is Gone!

Who is online