“Demanding the removal of Secretary Rumsfeld is not going to hasten the dismantling of the worldwide terror network or ensure security of our homeland, nor will it speed the process of turning responsibility for the security of Iraq over to the Iraqi defense forces.”
Martha Rainville
“I'm here on an important international mission. Secretary Rumsfeld asked me to check on his horse.”
George W. Bush
“I'm not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers.”
Trent Lott
“I made the case to Gen. Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld before the president that I was not sure we had enough troops. The case was made, it was listened to, it was considered. … A judgment was made by those responsible that the troop strength was adequate.”
Colin Powell
“Accountability is essential. So the question for me is, what did Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the Pentagon know, when did they know it and what did they do about it? ... If the answers are unsatisfactory, resignations should be sought.”
Joe Biden
“I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him.”
Charles Swannack
“Secretary Rumsfeld takes the extraordinary position in his brief that ordering torture was 'within the scope of his employment' as Secretary of Defense. Especially in light of recent finds that no one at senior levels has been held to account for gross acts of torture and abuse of detainees, this is a remarkable abdication of the responsibility of command.”
Deborah Pearlstein
