Rumsfeld must go! Gage to succeed him.

This just in: Rumsfeld is leaving, and apparently former CIA director Gage will be succeeding him.
The Navy Times, the
Army Times, the Air Force Times, and the Marine Corps Times all agree, it is time for Donald Rumsfeld to go:
"Military Times: Rumsfeld Must Go
"November 4th, 2006 -- Randy Risener
"By Brent BudowskyContributing Editor
"The Military Times speaks truth to power and to America with its call for Rumsfeld to go. This is the beginning of the end for the Republican policy of failure, arrogance, corruption, dishonesty and war partisanship.
"On Monday Marine Corps Times, Army Times, Navy Times, and Air Force Times are taking the extraordinary and courageous step of calling for Rumsfeld to go.The voice of commanders, the troops and their families will speak. This madness must end. This policy must change. Rumsfeld must go. Enough is enough.The pre-election timing of this statement is extraordinary; that the voice of our military and families would speak so powerfully for change, in the hours before the nation votes, is a breathtaking and decisive statement of how strongly they feel that this madness must end.To save any semblance of rationality for American policy in Iraq new leaders, a Democratic Congress and the resignation of Secretary Rumsfeld are urgently needed.This past week something extraordinarily and ominous happened. An American soldier was kidnapped. Going all out to leave no one behind, our mlitary established checkpoints.
"What happened next?
"The government in Iraq under the control of pro-Iranian Shi’ite leaders, surrending to the will of murderous Shi’ite militia, ordered the checkpoint closed.
"This is the government that more than 2800 Americans have given their lives for. This is the government of rampant corruption. This is the government that has virtually no police force to speak in the fourth year of this war and whatever police force does exist is heavily infiltrated by even more of these murderous military.
"Meanwhile sectarian violence and bloodshed continue to rise in November and every day brings news of more carnage and corruption. And the Republican Congress now wants to cashier even the Republican Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to protect those who have been stealing, pillaging, misusing, losing and corrupting more than $10 billion of our money.
"Now, in one of the most extraordinary and important moments in the history of this war, the Military Times newspapers are calling for the removal of Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld.
"Marine Corps Times, Army Times, Air Force Times and Navy Times are taking a principled and courageous stand sending a powerful pre-election message about what must be done.
"In fact, what I and others have been arguing for some time is that what the Military Times now publicly calls for, is what the commanders and most troops have believed for some time.
"Lack of armor.
"Lack of protected vehicles.
"Lack of bandages and helmets.
"Lack of adequate pay for troops.
"Lack of respect for commanders from the President and his neo-conservatives, who are now cutting and running themselves by blaming each other for their shared value, is their modus operandi.
"The hallmarks of Republican leaders in Washington are arrogance, dishonesty and delusion.
"Corrupted Iraq Reconstruction.
"Crony deals, stolen money, wasted programs in which American troops give their lives and limbs for a government dominated by Iranian supported militia. While the blood of our troops is spilled multi-millionaire crooks, with ties to one party Republican government lard their bank accounts, and use our money to pay for their super bowl parties.
"As the Miltary Times editorial says, for years the sergeants and captains have reported back that their urgent efforts to train Iraqi troops were not succeeding, because those they trained were not loyal to the cause, and were in it for the money.
"As the Military Times editorial says, the Secretary of Defense is a disaster and it is time for him to go.
"As Vanity Fair reports, the pathetic theorists of neo-conservativism who helped build the public case to invade Iraq are now turning against the President, saying they would have opposed the war if they knew how he would mismanage it.
"Meanwhile the President parades around the country name calling Democrats, and the pro-Iranian government of Iraq stiffs American troops, while the Republican power barons in Washington stiff the Inspector General to protect the crooks who pay for their campaigns.
This is like the end of one of those old Fred Astaire movies where everyone is on the stage as the curtain closes: Iraq mismanagement. The culture of corruption. The partisan president dishing his dirt. The Republican Congress trying to gut the Inspector General. The Republican candidates drenching the aiwaves with lying and smearing ads.
"It gets worse: the neoconservatives running for cover. The intelligence community saying the war creates more terrorists. Commanders warning of the descent to chaos. And while the carnage and corruption continue, the Vice President acts like Captain Queeg, claiming preposterously that he was always right, demanding that we stay the course with this catastrophic policy.
"Military Times, Marines Corps Times, Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times: they speak for the troops, they speak for the families, they speak for the commanders.
"It is the beginning of the end.
"It is time for this madness to end.—–Brent Budowsky is a national security specialist and former legislative assistant who was the principal author of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act that the Bush administration flouted when they outed Valarie Plame. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit."
It is time for Donald Rumsfeld to go. It is time for that Republican rubber-stamp Hal Roger to go. Elect Kenneth Stepp to the U.S. House, KY-05.