Projo Politics Blog

U.S. Senator-elect Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, and Reps. James Langevin and Patrick Kennedy -- all Rhode Island Democrats -- spoke out today on the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of defense.

Both Whitehouse and Langevin had called for Republican Rumsfeld's resignation in recent months.

Whitehouse:

“Voters in Rhode Island and across the country sent a clear signal yesterday that we are ready for a new direction and a change in Washington. Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation is the first step toward a new course in Iraq.

"The mismanagement and failures of the war in Iraq demand significant accountability, and it’s my hope that in the coming months a new Democratic Senate will work to hold this administration accountable for the disastrous conduct of this war.”

Reed (in a Washington press conference):

"I think Secretary Rumsfeld's departure must be followed with a change of policy. And I would look forward to reviewing the recommendation of the president, Bob Gates. I've had the occasion to work with Bob Gates informally, and I'm very impressed with his ability and his judgment. And I'll stop there.

"I've gotten to know him over the last several years and he strikes me as someone who's a pragmatist. He strikes me also as somebody who will listen, particularly to the uniformed services. And I think, in that respect, he will be a very pleasant change from Secretary Rumsfeld."

Langevin:

"The resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is a positive development, and I am pleased that he and President Bush have at last heeded the calls of so many Americans, including my own, for a new direction and fresh leadership at the Pentagon.

"However, this change in leadership does not change the mistakes and miscalculations made over the last four years in the lead-up to and prosecution of the war in Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld was a key architect of the war in Iraq, and he has mismanaged it from the start. Instead of enhancing our national security as he promised, the conflict has led to an overstretched military, frayed alliances, and an apparent civil war in an important global region."

Kennedy:

"It is good news for the country that President Bush is accepting yesterday's election as the vote of no confidence that it clearly was and is firing Secretary Rumsfeld. Democrats - and increasingly Republicans - have been arguing for months and years that we should not stay the course on a failing policy in Iraq. The American people obviously agree.

"I hope that this step marks more than the beginning of a more sensible strategy in Iraq that is more responsive to the realities on the ground. I hope it also represents an acknowledgment that it's in the best interests of the American people for Republicans and Democrats to work together to tackle America's challenges. For too long the president has disparaged and impugned those who disagree with him. Perhaps the election, and today's announcement that he is replacing Secretary Rumsfeld, will be the beginning of a new spirit of cooperation. Americans certainly deserve that much."

-- With reports from John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau

Your turn: React to Rumsfeld's departure

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