Rumsfeld redux

IT IS tempting to portray President Bush's decision to retain Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as essentially a vote of confidence by Bush in Bush, since the president never seemed to acknowledge his subordinate's shortcomings, however manifest.

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Botched planning for the Iraqi occupation, mounting casualties in the military and (uncounted) among Iraqis, prisoner abuse scandals -- the list of errors during his tenure is long and consistently ignored by Bush.

Rumsfeld's dream of reforming the military into a more agile fighting force, equipped with high-tech weapons, makes sense in a world redefined by international terrorism. But Rumsfeld's stubborn insistence on applying that template to the occupation of Iraq has been a disaster.

Likewise, the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison should have cost Rumsfeld his job -- because of the global opprobrium it brought on America and because of the likelihood that future enemies will be encouraged to treat US prisoners just as badly.

Rumsfeld weathered these storms, but apparently has learned little.

In Iraq, troops, civilians, and aid organizations are finding large parts of the country more dangerous than six months or a year ago. Rumsfeld's exchange with troops in Kuwait last week was embarrassing because of the GIs' frustration with the scarcity of first-class equipment, but even more embarrassing because of Rumsfeld's instantly famous response: "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."

But Iraq was no Pearl Harbor. Bush and Rumsfeld attacked on their own timetable. According to Bob Woodward, hard planning for the Iraq war began Dec. 4, 2001, when General Tommy Franks went to Rumsfeld's office. That was three years ago. The fact that US troops still lack sufficient armored vehicles -- and the Pentagon may not even be procuring them aggressively -- is a disgrace.

Some Republicans were upset in November when certain Pentagon personnel worked to undercut intelligence reform legislation backed by Bush, though Rumsfeld swore loyalty to the president. The bill passed last week with Rumsfeld out of the country.

Additional reports have also surfaced in recent weeks about abuse of prisoners in Iraq and at Guantanamo, where the Red Cross reported treatment "tantamount to torture."

Last May, when Congress was investigating the Abu Ghraib horrors, Rumsfeld expressed shock of his own, but worked to keep the blame from spreading to his door. "Needless to say, if I felt I could not be effective, I'd resign in a minute," he said. Bush backed Rumsfeld at the time, saying he was doing "a superb job." Unfortunately, mounting evidence has apparently not changed that opinion.