WASHINGTON, Nov 8: US President George W. Bush conceded on Wednesday that a general dissatisfaction with his administration’s Iraq policy contributed to the Republican defeat in congressional elections and announced that his controversial Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was stepping down.
Former CIA Director Robert Gates will replace Mr Rumsfeld at the Pentagon and oversee America’s strategy in Iraq. Most voters who ousted the Republicans from the US Congress on Tuesday said Iraq was a deciding factor in how they voted.
Mr Bush acknowledged that Iraq was a key factor but so were the scandals that wracked the party just weeks before the balloting.
"I believe Iraq had a lot to do with the election but there were other factors as well," Mr Bush said. "People want their congressmen to be honest and ethical. ... Different factors affected different races."
"It was a thumping'," said Mr Bush, describing the "cumulative effect" of the vote.
“I recognise that many Americans voted last night to register their displeasure with the lack of progress being made in Iraq,” Mr Bush said. “Yet I also believe most Americans and leaders here in Washington from both political parties understand we cannot accept defeat.”
Mr Bush said he was convinced most Americans wanted "victory" in Iraq but acknowledged that the pace of progress had not been quick enough.
Mr Bush’s announcement about Mr Rumsfeld’s departure at a White House came less than an hour after speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi urged him to sack the secretary as a goodwill gesture towards the American people who, she said, had rejected the Bush administration’s Iraq strategy.
Mr Rumsfeld is one of the key architects of this strategy and is believed to have played a decisive role in convincing Mr Bush to “stay the course” in Iraq despite the loss of nearly 3,000 American and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives.
"After a series of thoughtful conversations, Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed time is right for new leadership at the Pentagon," Mr Bush said, adding that Mr Rumsfeld has been a "superb" leader.
"We're constantly changing tactics and that requires constant assessment, and so he (Rumsfeld) and I both agreed in our meeting yesterday that it was appropriate that I accept his resignation," said Mr Bush while explaining his decision.
Just last week Mr Bush indicated he wanted Mr Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney to serve through the end of his term in January 2009. He told the news conference that he did not know last week whether Mr Rumsfeld would be leaving the administration and did not want to make a decision on the issue before the election.
"I hadn't had a chance to visit with Bob Gates and I hadn't had my final conversation with Don Rumseld at that point," Mr Bush said, later adding, "You can't replace somebody until you know you have somebody to replace him with."
Mr Bush was asked whether, now that he is replacing Mr Rumsfeld, he still had full confidence in Mr Cheney and whether the vice-president would serve out the rest of his term. “Yes he does, yes he will,” Mr Bush replied.
Mr Rumsfeld, a former Navy pilot and congressman, became America’s 21st Defence Secretary on Jan. 20, 2001 and was one of the longest serving defence secretaries.
Mr Rumsfeld first arrived in Washington in 1957 as an administrative assistant to a congressman and also served as White House chief of staff.
Mr 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.
Mr 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.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who had intervened in the past to shore up Mr Rumsfeld, issued a statement saying, "Washington must now work together in a bipartisan way — Republicans and Democrats — to outline the path to success in Iraq."
The president congratulated Democrats on their takeover of the House and strong gains in the Senate and said he wanted to hear other views on Iraq, and was looking forward to recommendations by a commission headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana.
