Secretary of Defense

Democrats win big...and the regime begins to unravel.

Bye, bye Rummy

The weekest link in the executive cabinet has been forced out of office. Donald Rumsfeld has been told to go buh-bye after Democrats swept Congress and are one win away from taking over the Senate as well.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped down as defense secretary on Wednesday, one day after midterm elections in which opposition to the war in
Iraq contributed to heavy Republican losses.
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President Bush said he would nominate Robert Gates, a former
CIA director, to replace Rumsfeld at the
Pentagon.

Asked whether his announcement signaled a new direction in the war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 U.S. troops, Bush said, "Well, there's certainly going to be new leadership at the Pentagon."

Bush lavished praise on Rumsfeld, who has spent six stormy years at his post. The president disclosed he met with Gates last Sunday, two days before the elections in which Democrats swept to control of the House and possibly the Senate.

Last week, as he campaigned to save the Republican majority, Bush declared that Rumsfeld would remain at the Pentagon through the end of his term