Your opinions, please.....

[Holly_Hobby]

What is your opinion of why Rumsfeld's firing wasn't announced until AFTER the elections? It seems like a stupid move to have waited. Announcing it a few days before the election would make more sense to them. What am I missing?

[BuyingThyme]

1. Had the Pukes maintained power, Rumsfeld would have stayed.

There's no question about that.

Bush told Gates that if the Dems take over, he would step in.

It's pure politics.

[dmosh42]

2. Bush rolled the dice!

I really think 'numbnuts' was in denial, and thought Rove would pull it out in the end. He really wants to keep the 'Cheney-Rumsfeld' fiasco going. Why? We can only guess at these twits.

[Monkeyman]

4. Yep

[Herman74]

3. Rumsfeld fired before the election is an acknowledgement...

...that the Bush Administration messed things up in Iraq. Perhaps it was thought that this would harm, rather then help, Republicans' re-election chances.

[tbyg52]

7. Welcome to DU, Herman74!

:hi:

I think they wouldn't have fired him had they won, in spite of the spin they are putting on it now. All the other explanations require that they be even stupider than I think they are. Still, maybe they *are*.... ;)

Edited for typos. I *am* doing well today.....

[tbyg52]

8. self delete

Accidental double post.

[aardvarkascent2006]

5. My opinion

I think it's because they weren't sure about how the elections were going to turn out. The Bush camp is so baselessly self-assured that they were remaining open to the possibility that the Republicans would sweep and remain in control. If that had happened, Bush would have "stayed the course" and kept Rumsfeld. In other words, they are so closed-minded to the possibility that they are wrong, that they don't even include that possibility in their planning.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

6. Bush didn't want to give the appearance of politicizing politics.

So, he did the next best thing--lied.

[Mythsaje]

11. "Politicizing Politics"

:rofl:

Doesn't this just give lie to their whole meme about the Dems "politicizing" this or that? Well, duh. They're politicians. They're SUPPOSED to politicize stuff. That's the point.

[theoldman]

9. Rumsfeld does what Cheney tells him to do.

I agree that if they had won, Bush would have kept Rumsfeld. Now that they are forced to make changes you need a new guy. It's all about politics.

[Demeter]

10. I Guess They Had to Do Something When The Election Fix Didn't Take

to prevent immediate impeachment.

I wonder if this is some kind of deal with various corrupt Democrats, or if it was a sacrifice to the lions to take the edge off the vox populae (bread and circuses, anyone?)

Or it was a deal with Poppy if the fix didn't take.

In any event, it was a definite penalty imposed upon Bush. Never in a million years would he have fired Rumsfeld on his own, nor would he let Rumsfeld go voluntarily.