Clinton calling for Rumsfeld's resignation

[ProSense]

Sen. Clinton says Rumsfeld should resign

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton called Thursday for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, hours after excoriating him at a public hearing over what she said was a "failed policy" in
Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060803/ap_on_go_co/clinton_iraq_3

I just posted this in Whometense's thread:


Question: What the hell took so long to bring Rumsfeld before the Armed Forces Committee?

People have been calling for his resignation for years. We're not even talking about withdrawal just losing the lunatic who's screw ups had/have life and death consequences.

[fedupinBushcountry]

1. Oh so

Hillary calls for it and it is big news. Well Kerry called for his resignation almost 3 years ago, where was Hillary then and did she just now wake up and smell the coffee?

You didn't need to be on the AFC to see his screw-ups, it was out there all the time.

[politicasista]

5. Interesting

Speaking of the Clintons, Bill is in TN tonight for a fundraiser for Congressmen Harold Ford Jr. (U.S. Senate nominee). Wanted to go, but it was too expensive ($150 a ticket).

[ProSense]

2. Posted a response

to the LBN thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2434203&mesg_id=2434311

[Island Blue]

3. How long has Kerry been calling for Rumsfeld's resignation?

I know it's been at least two years. He called for it several times during the campaign. I guess better late than never Hillary.

[Democrafty]

4. I think 3 years n/t

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. Almost 3 years

The first time was in September '03.

[Island Blue]

7. I'm sure y'all are right.

The NC primary came so late that it didn't mean a hill of beans, so to be honest, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to what Kerry (or any one else for that matter) was saying before or during the primaries. In my defense, since then, I've made up for the lack of paying attention! :)

[fedupinBushcountry]

9. You certainly have :-)

I became a staunch supporter of Senator Kerry in the spring of '03. His first call:

Friday, September 26, 2003


Sen. John Kerry calls on Rumsfeld to resign over Iraq.

http://cursor.org/0903_archive.htm

Monday, May 10, 2004 Posted: 9:26 AM EDT (1326 GMT)

Kerry called for Rumsfeld's resignation in September 2003, accusing him of underestimating the demands of the Iraq war and weakening the military as a result, and he restated that call Thursday.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/05/06/kerry.abuse/index.html

Kerry reiterates call for Rumsfeld to resign
Says command must pay the price for Abu Ghraib abuse
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Posted: 1657 GMT (0057 HKT)

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Citing the conclusion of an independent panel that higher command was also responsible for abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, Sen. John Kerry Wednesday reiterated his call for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/25/kerry.rumsfeld/

I asked for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation over two years ago. He should have resigned over Abu Ghraib. He should have resigned over what happened in Iraq when they completely misinterpreted the insurgency. He should have resigned over the lack of armor, the lack of adequate numbers of troops and support for our troops. He should have resigned for the failure to commit enough troops to Tora Bora to actually surround and capture Osama bin Laden.

April 26, 2006 at 05:30 PM |

http://prairieweather.typepad.com/big_blue_stem/2006/04/the_generals_an.html

[blm]

14. You should post this in GD or GDP.

Heading suggestion: Hillary could have helped get rid of Rumsfeld a few years ago.

Same with Biden who waited till AFTER the election to call for Rumsfeld's resignation as if he just thought of it.

[ProSense]

15. This is posted:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1814715&mesg_id=1814715

[ProSense]

8. These were posted

by GV earlier this year:

Dean, Kerry call on Rumsfeld to quit
Defense secretary accused of ‘pattern of deception’ on Iraq

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:56 p.m. ET Sept. 26, 2003
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - Democratic presidential candidates Howard Dean and John Kerry have called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign, citing a “pattern of deception” in his statements on Iraq and a failure to plan for the postwar period.


KERRY, A SENATOR from Massachusetts, first said Thursday that Rumsfeld should step down, saying he proceeded in Iraq “in an arrogant, inappropriate way that has frankly put America at jeopardy.”

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3087318

Kerry: Rumsfeld Should Quit

May 6, 2004

(CBS/AP) Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has renewed his call for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down amid the growing scandal over the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris.

"I called for Rumsfeld's resignation months ago over Iraq," Kerry told reporters Thursday. He said the abuse reports only compound the reason for Rumsfeld to quit.

"It's the way it was handled. The lack of information to the Congress, the lack of information to the country, not managing it, not dealing with it, recognizing it as an issue. But look this is, this is the frosting," Kerry said during a campaign appearance at a California high school.

"I think Iraq and the miscalculation and the overextension of the armed forces and the entire way in which they rushed the nation to war under these assumptions that he was making — which were incorrect — is a huge, historic miscalculation and I thought he should have resigned then."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/07/politics/main616272.shtml

Kerry Suggests Replacements for Rumsfeld
Thursday, May 13, 2004

WASHINGTON — Presidential candidate John Kerry (search) said Wednesday the war in Iraq (search) is a failure and that a shake-up is needed to end the Bush administration's mistakes and incompetence, a sharp critique that sparked more Republican criticism that the Democrat is making the war a political issue.

"Why should we reward more of the same? Why should we reward miscalculations of what it would take to make the peace?" Kerry asked in an interview with Associated Press Radio. "I think that it's been one miscalculation after another, frankly. And arrogance that has lost America respect and influence in the world."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119741,00.html

Kerry: Rumsfeld 'accountable' for Abu Ghraib
Oakland Tribune, Aug 26, 2004 by Jodi Wilgoren, New York Times


GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Teeing off two reports detailing abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday renewed his call for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign, citing the need for "accountability that runs through the civilian command."

"It's not just the little person at the bottom who ought to pay the price of responsibility," Kerry told union members at a steamfitters hall in Philadelphia before heading to Green Bay. "Harry Truman had that sign on the desk and it said, 'The buck stops here.' The buck doesn't stop at the Pentagon. And in this case it doesn't just stop with any military personnel."

Speaking on the same day that the Army announced that 35 military intelligence soldiers had been implicated in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, also called on President Bush to appoint another commission to probe the scandal, focused on the chain of command and the Geneva Conventions.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20040826/ai_n14580880

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Kerry asks for supporters to sign Rumsfeld recall petition
Kerry, who recently returned from a Middle East trip that included a visit to Iraq, wrote in the letter to supporters "please join me in my call for President Bush to fire Donald Rumsfeld."

"He's the man responsible for the well-being of our troops. He's neglected his duty. He's made excuses. It's time for him to go," Kerry wrote.

http://ifk-johnkerry.blogspot.com/2005/01/kerry-asks-for-supporters-to-sign.html

Mr. President,
I was surprised and disappointed that you told the Washington Post last week that no Bush administration official should be held accountable for our failures in Iraq. As the situation worsens and more American lives are lost and troops deployed to the region, it's time to stop rewarding incompetence and to start demanding accountability. For the sake of our men and women in uniform and their families here at home, I urge you to start by replacing Donald Rumsfeld. His record of failure and his inability to play it straight with the American people and our troops overseas make him unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense for one more day, never mind four more years.

If you care about restoring our credibility around the world and our credibility with our troops on the ground in Iraq, you've got to start by removing Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. That's why I am joining Senator John Kerry and hundreds of thousands of Americans in adding my name to the johnkerry.com petition calling for Rumsfeld's immediate removal from office.

I urge you to act without delay. We can't afford any more auto-penned letters of condolences and shifting stories about what kind of armor we have to protect our troops.

American soliders and their families are counting on you as Commander in Chief to hold those in charge of the war in Iraq to the highest standards.


Paid for by Friends of John Kerry, Inc.

http://www.johnkerry.com/petition/rumsfeld2.php

October 31, 2005
Kerry Blasts Rumsfeld Again
Colmes asks, and Senator John Kerry (MA) blasts:

COLMES: Do you think there should be resignations, with or without indictments?
KERRY: Well, I said about two years ago that I thought Donald Rumsfeld should resign because his management of the war has really been inexcusable. Every prediction made has been proven to be wrong.

He neglected the most important thing, which is do all you can to protect the troops. And still, there are problems with up-armored Humvees or armor. I think it's a disgrace, and I think he should have long ago resigned.

http://www.dems.us/2005/10/kerry_blasts_ru.html

[karynnj]

10. Kerry called for Rumsfeld to leave in Sept 03, May 04 and Aug 04

He also had another petition after the election in 2005. In addition, he spoke about Rumsfeld not being the Secretary of defense if he won as an applause line continuously in 2004.

(CNN has a 5/06/04 story that mentions Kerry's first call for Rumsfeld to resign (and talks about the call to resign over Abu Ghraib)

September, 2003:
Kerry called for Rumsfeld's resignation in September 2003, accusing him of underestimating the demands of the Iraq war and weakening the military as a result, and he restated that call Thursday.

"The entire way in which they rushed the nation to war on these assumptions he was making, which were incorrect, is a huge, historic miscalculation," Kerry told reporters. "I thought he should resign then -- period."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/05/06/kerry.abuse/index.html



from 2004
Kerry campaign, May 7th 2pm email:
"Over the past week we have all been shocked by the pictures from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. But we have also been appalled at the slow and inept response by President Bush, which has further undermined America's credibility in the world and created new dangers for Americans in Iraq. George Bush must fire Donald Rumsfeld. http://www.johnkerry.com/petition/rumsfeld.php"
htt

this followed:
John Kerry, May 5th, at Colton High School in Los Angeles:
"The president of the United States needs to offer the world an explanation and needs to take appropriate responsibility. And if that includes apologizing for the behavior of those soldiers and what happened, we ought to do that."

http://civilities.net/AbuGhraibPetitionTimeline

August 26, 2004 - when Abu Ghraib report came out, Kerry again called for him to resign:


http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/25/kerry.rumsfeld/

Interesting comment in a post at one website re the August story:
Wilgoren had it in the NYT. But I'm sure it didn't get any really play beyond the print media. The Swift Boat Liars are doing a good job keeping any Abu Ghraib noise down, which is ironic because that kind of behavior from the military leadership is exactly what Kerry was protesting when he testified in 1971. Well, not "ironic" as much as exactly as Rove and his minions planned it.

http://casadelogo.typepad.com/factesque/2004/08/kerry_calls_for.html


In April this year - Kerry lists lots of reasons for Rumsfeld to leave. The link is to a 1 hour NPR interview show - Generals and Kerry.

Kerry: That's just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life! First of all, the generals who are speaking out are retired. They're all retired! Who is kidding who! You don't give up your citizenship in the United States of America when you retire from the military. You don't even give it up when you're in the military! You have a right to vote. And there's certainly an unspoken rule that you don't stand up and get involved in politics when you're in the direct chain of command and you work for the Commander-in-Chief. We all understand that. But these folks are retired. And they have a sense of patriotic duty and responsibility that's driving them to speak out. Now the notion that this threatens civilian control of the military is just ridiculous. ... What they're doing is saying, Where's the accountability! They're asking the question that many of us in Congress have asked. I asked for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation over two years ago. He should have resigned over Abu Ghraib. He should have resigned over what happened in Iraq when they completely misinterpreted the insurgency. He should have resigned over the lack of armor, the lack of adequate numbers of troops and support for our troops. He should have resigned for the failure to commit enough troops to Tora Bora to actually surround and capture Osama bin Laden.


http://prairieweather.typepad.com/big_blue_stem/2006/04/the_generals_an.html

[TayTay]

11. Sen. Clinton, why should Rumsfeld resign?

Because he has screwed up so badly in Iraq and has been wrong on virtually every decision he has made in the planning and execution of that war.

I sincerely hope that Sen. Clinton didn't wake up today and just realize, "damn that Donald Rumsfeld is incompetent. He should resign. I think I'll send out a press release."

Ahm, Senator, what does this mean for your refusal to come out and renounce your vote of Oct 10, 2002? There have been a lot of Senate Democrats who have said, at the least, that if they knew then what they know now, especially about the lies of this Admin that came from the top down, they would not have voted the way they did. Several have gone much farther than this and have renounced the war itself, from soup to nuts, as a mistake.

What say you Senator? Is it just a case of Rumsfeld being a bad apple or is the whole barrel bad?

[wisteria]

12. What a political opportunist- really!

She waits for the worst to happen, looks at the polls and decides it is safe to come out against Rumsfeld now. I would normally welcome additional Dems to the Rumsfeld should resign club, but her actions today seem so arranged, I am left with a cynical view of the whole Hillary story today.
Finally, I will add, that she can call for Rumsfeld's registration, but she is too late, if she had done this when Kerry did or even supported his request we might have had an opportunity to turn things around with a new direction and the outcome in Iraq would have been better. I say that because, it couldn't get much worse.

[ProSense]

13. Agree!

I hope it doesn't take them another year or two to acknowledge the civil war that has been going on in Iraq for some time now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1814715&mesg_id=1814715





Saving grace edit of OP:

whose, not who's!

[wisteria]

17. Oh, don't count on it. The line being used now is ,they could be headed

for a civil war. You and I both know that when the Pentagon comes out and says it is the worse sectarian violence they have witnessed to date, that things are extremely grave. IMO, the administration has been jerking us around regarding the situation in Iraq- playing politics with peoples lives. Why just a month ago, when Senator Kerry called for troop withdraw and our soldiers stepping back and the Iraqi's standing up, General Pace (whom is either incompetent or is just a decorated mouthpiece for the administration) was saying the situation was improving so much that troops could be withdrawn.That they had just about reached their goals of recruiting and training Iraqi soldiers,now we need to send in additional troops? You mean to tell me they haven't noticed the increase in violence that has been going on for months until now?

[karynnj]

18. There's also an article in DU-P that Senator Warner

is questioning Bush's authority in going to war. I was, I think, a minority of 1 thinking it could be a crack in the Republican wall. (It also may be still being grateful for the respect and friendship he showed Kerry at a time when Reid and others were less nice. Warner at that time told Kerry "Timing is everything" (I think Kerry's timing can now be seen to have been better.)

[ProSense]

16. All of a sudden, everyone is trying to

cover their butts on Iraq:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2756670&mesg_id=2756670

[karynnj]

19. All Democrats should follow St Hillary?????

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1817452