Misdirection on the Rumsfeld resignation

By Lee Russ

Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 05:14 PM

Now that Rumsfeld is actually gone, the media can't get enough of the latest form of navel-gazing: have we all been too hard on poor Rummy?

I've heard more idiocy on that issue for the last few days...

Popular theories could easily have been predicted just by having been alive during past navel-gazing sessions from our beloved media:

++Yes, Rummy's a victim of the media desire to tear down what it previously built up

++Yes, Rummy's a victim of having been the face on the podium while the other actors stayed offstage

and my all-time favorite:

++Yes, Rummy's being unfairly criticized because the disaster in Iraq is far from his sole responsibility.

Well, that's just fine and misdirectingly dandy.  A handsome and functional straw man if I ever saw one.

Folks, I haven't heard a single sane person say that Iraq is all Rumsfeld's fault.  Have you?

I've heard it said, and said myself, that Rumsfeld deserves a huge portion of the blame for the simple fact that he was in charge of the plan, and the plan was woefully inadequate.

I've heard it said and said myself that Rumsfeld deserves a huge portion of the plan for punishing those military people who gave him advice he didn't like, and surrounded himself with military yes men to ensure that no amendments were ever made to his ideas.

I've heard it said and said myself that Rumsfeld deserves a huge portion of the blame for his silly flippant responses to any uncomfortable questions from the public, the media, and the troops themselves.

In short, Rumsfeld deserves a very large portion of the blame...such a large portion that he would have voluntarily stepped down long ago if he had a conscience and even minimal awareness.

But no, navel-gazing media friends, he does not deserve all the blame, because that would let off the hook the rest of the idiot's gallery, from our esteemed President to his snarling Vice President, to all the war-lings that set the stage like Wolfowitz and Kristol and on and on and on.

Bye-bye Rummy.  I hope you get what you deserve.  And I hope the rest of the idiot's gallery follow soon and find their just desserts as well.