Letter: Rumsfeld should have been fired long ago

Friday, Dec. 29, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

I read with amazement Lee S. Gliddon Jr.'s Dec. 20 letter headlined, "Let's give thanks to Donald Rumsfeld" wherein, among other things, he stated that Mr. Rumsfeld did a splendid job and that the detractors of Mr. Rumsfeld and President Bush can only be seen as shortsighted. The word splendid is defined as "superb, brilliant and extraordinarily impressive." What rock has Mr. Gliddon been under for the past three years?

Mr. Gliddon's letter reminds me of the comments of Thomas Friedman, the foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times on "Meet the Press" on Dec. 17, who, when speaking of Vice President's Dick Cheney's comments that Mr. Rumsfeld was the best defense secretary in the history of the U.S., stated that this means that Mr. Cheney is either a liar or President Bush is a fool. Mr. Friedman stated that if, as Mr. Cheney claimed, Mr. Rumsfeld was the best defense secretary of all time, then why at this most critical time of the Iraq war would Mr. Bush dismiss him?

Mr. Gliddon suggests that the detractors of Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush can only be seen as shortsighted. As one of those detractors, I do not believe that critics of Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush are shortsighted but instead would have to be blind not to recognize the multitude of mistakes that have resulted in tragic consequences.

With awesome powers come awesome responsibilities. Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush should be held fully responsible and accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to the most sacred responsibility - the protection of the citizens of the U.S., including those brave and heroic troops serving in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld should have been "shown the door" long before Nov. 8, and the end of Mr. Bush's presidency will come none too soon for those of us who demand competency, responsibility and accountability in their leaders.

Tom Harper, Henderson