Senator Byrd Calls for Rumsfeld to Resign

Senator Byrd has known every Secretary of Defense since the 1950s. Like many thoughtful Americans, he's not impressed with Donald Rumsfeld. Truthout has Senator Byrd's statement:

US Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has called for President Bush to ask for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Byrd is the longest serving member of the Congress and the third-ranking Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

(snip)

Mr. President,

September 11 has come and gone, and as we remember those lost on that fateful day, and contemplate events since the horrific attack, one truth stands out.

The war in Iraq has backfired, producing more recruits for terrorism, and deep divisions within our own country. It is a war we should never have begun. The detour from our attack on Bin Laden and his minions, hiding in the cracks and crevices of the rough terrain of Afghanistan, to the unwise and unprovoked attack on Iraq has been a disastrous one. Mr. Bush's war has damaged the country because he drove our blessed land into an unnecessary conflict, utterly misreading the consequences, with the result now being a daily display of America's vulnerabilities to those who wish us ill. The United States is a weaker power now, especially in the Middle East, but also in the court of world opinion. Where is the America of restraint, of peace and of inspiration to millions? Where is the America respected not only for her military might, but also for her powerful ideas and her reasonable diplomacy?

Be sure to read the whole thing. It's Senator Byrd at his best. What's ironic is that he comes across like a liberal but that's not accurate. He's a moderate and he's pretty much the same as he's been in the last twenty-five years. Thanks to years of Republican noise, it's the country that's changed. We need to find our way back.