WOOOOO-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

[YaadPyar]

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-rumsfeld,0,1335189.story?coll=chi-newsbreaking-hed

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Resigns

 
By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press Writer

November 8, 2006, 12:03 PM CST

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.

Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.

The development occurred one day after midterm elections that cost Republicans control of the House, and possibly the Senate, as well. Surveys of voters at polling places said opposition to the war was a significant contributor to the Democratic victory.

President Bush was expected to announce Rumsfeld's departure and Gates' nomination at an afternoon news conference. Administration officials notified congressional officials in advance.

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.

Rumsfeld, 74, was in his second tour of duty as defense chief. He first held the job a generation ago, when he was appointed by President Ford.

Gates is the president of Texas A&M University and a close friend of the Bush family. He served as CIA director for Bush's father from 1991 until 1993.

Gates first joined the CIA in 1966 and served in the intelligence community for more than a quarter century, under six presidents.

His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
Copyright © 2006, The Associated Press

 

[Front-Ranger]

Interesting, Mel. The mountain counties are not only high in altitude they are high in intellect! My county was pale pink but it's so populous that it might as well have been red. Look at all the strong marriage-definition voters over there by Kansas!!

And jpwagoneer, killing babies is not a good thing. Birthing babies into a life of poverty and discrimination is not a good thing. Killing Iraqis is not a good thing. Letting babies, or grown-ups die of starvation, disease, or warfare just because they happen to live in a third world nation is not a good thing.

Killing cute little baby deer is not a good thing. But mother deer abandon their offspring in my neighborhood, let them die, or even eat them because the area is overpopulated with deer. It is not a good thing, but it is something that has to be done.

[ednbarby]

Lee, now, more than ever...

 

[Shakesthecoffecan]

It may be a long wait, judging from how past recounts have gone.  But not to worry.  The Senate is in the bag.  Our guys are ahead - in Montana by 2500 and in Virginia by 7000+.  And I just heard on NPR that the last time they did a recount in Virginia it was for Attorney General.  The Dem was ahead by a couple thousand votes and the Republican ordered a recount that took well into December and all it served to do was add 37 more votes to the loser's (and I mean that on a number of levels) tally.

The thing with Virginia is we have a LOT of military who have absentee ballots, the general thinking is most of these people are republican, but I tend to think of them as mostly minorities, which tend to vote democrat. It may take a while.

[ednbarby]

The thing with Virginia is we have a LOT of military who have absentee ballots, the general thinking is most of these people are republican, but I tend to think of them as mostly minorities, which tend to vote democrat. It may take a while.

True.  But I can't believe there are enough of them who are Republicans *and* who voted Republican this time around to make up 7000+ votes.  I think they'll still be, as you imply, enough Democratic votes even so to balance it all out too much to even come close.

[nakymaton]

Interesting, Mel. The mountain counties are not only high in altitude they are high in intellect! My county was pale pink but it's so populous that it might as well have been red. Look at all the strong marriage-definition voters over there by Kansas!!

Those almost-in-Kansas people would be the voters who re-elected Marilyn "let's change the constitution to ban gay marriage" Musgrave.

Think we ought to give Colorado Springs to Texas and the eastern 100 miles to Kansas and Nebraska? Maybe give the NW corner of the state to Utah?

My county was split almost 50/50, but we're just a drop in the bucket. And although 50/50 is better than, say, Idaho's margin, it's not good enough.

As for abortion... I suspect that every abortion represents a tragedy that has already happened before the abortion was even considered. Better to work on keeping the tragedies from happening in the first place.

[Ellemeno]

Hi Everyone,

I have my moderator hat on for a moment -

My heart is warmed by the posts in this thread where people who disagree on some very emotionally-charged political issues are being courteous and understanding with each other while discussing those issues.  

Would that more of the country were like BetterMost - Instead of so much red and blue, we'd have a lot more purple.

Clarissa

[Jeff Wrangler]

As for abortion... I suspect that every abortion represents a tragedy that has already happened before the abortion was even considered. Better to work on keeping the tragedies from happening in the first place.

I agree, Mel. Unfortunately, my unscientific impression is that the only answer to preventing the tragedy in the first place so often put forward by people who would ban abortion is to tell people, particularly young people, "Don't have sex."

As if that ever worked. ... (I mean telling people not to have sex.) 

[ednbarby]

As if that ever worked. ... (I mean telling people not to have sex.) 

Exactly.  Let's face it - if it *did* work, there'd be no need for this discussion.

[Front-Ranger]

Well, there is a long-term solution and that is education, affordable and easily accessible birth control tools, awareness training, and enabling for women. In all of the societies where women have the power, education, and tools, birth rates have gone down to sustainable levels.