LOS ANGELES: The father of two soldiers serving in the military in Iraq has demanded the sacking of the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, in a full page advertisement taken out in Friday’s New York Times.

The ad, which accuses President George Bush and his administration of misleading the public about weapons of mass destruction, reflects a growing unease about the American casualties in Iraq. Demonstrations against the US conduct of the war in Iraq will be held in eight US cities this weekend.

“Donald Rumsfeld Betrayed My Sons and Our Nation. It’s Time For Him to Go,” says the headline of the ad, which is signed by Larry Syverson from Richmond, Virginia. The ad was paid for by MoveOn.org, the liberal internet-based organisation in San Francisco’s Bay Area and Win Without War, an anti-war coalition which helped to coordinate opposition to the war. It is not known how much they paid for the ad, but the market rate is $139,000.

Mr Syverson writes that one son, Branden, is a master gunner near Tikrit and another son, Bryce, is a gunner based in Baghdad. “I’m in awe at the courage of my sons and the honourable service that they give,” he writes. “But the leaders they serve have not acted honourably. They have failed my sons. They have failed all of us. At the very least, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld must go.”

Suggesting that the US troops are now involved in “a quagmire”, Mr Syverson, who describes himself as a patriotic American, blames Mr Rumsfeld for “the house of cards that is tumbling today”.

The leading Democratic contenders for their party’s presidential nomination next year have also stepped up their attacks on the conduct of the occupation of Iraq. The call by President Bush for an additional $87bn for use in Iraq has also fuelled opposition at a time when unemployment is at its highest since the early 90s.

General Wesley Clark, the latest candidate to join the presidential race, said this week that force should only be used “as a last resort”. Another candidate, Bob Graham, said in a debate that he supported the troops in Iraq “but I will not support a dime for the profits of Halliburton”, the company once headed by vice-president Dick Cheney which has received major rebuilding contracts in Iraq.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.