“I'm not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers.”
Trent Lott
“If this opens up so we have more and more officers speaking up and blaming Rumsfeld and blaming senior civilians, then it is possibly heading towards a fairly dangerous civilian-military crisis.”
Andrew Bacevich
“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
“I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him.”
Charles Swannack
“The question at this point is not whether Secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it's whether he should be indicted.”
Joanne Mariner
“I think Rumsfeld has lost some important allies on (Capitol) Hill and in the senior military. But I don't see how the president would find it in his political interest to get rid of Rumsfeld unless he also wants to change policy and use Rumsfeld as kind of a scapegoat or whipping boy or whatever. But there doesn't seem to be any evidence that the president wants to blame anybody or change his mind.”
Charles Stevenson
“I'm here on an important international mission. Secretary Rumsfeld asked me to check on his horse.”
George W. Bush
