Pressed by media, defended by Dubya
By RICHARD SISK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - President Bush appeared annoyed yesterday at the calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation and insisted, "I'm the decider" on who stays and who goes.
Rumsfeld also held a news conference yesterday where he said he had no intention of quitting.
Seven retired generals have said Rumsfeld should resign because he mishandled the war and its aftermath.
But Rumsfeld said it was his tough decisions on controversial issues that had put him at odds with the generals.
With all those decisions flying about, "somebody's not gonna like it," Rumsfeld said. With Bush to cover his back, Rumsfeld said he would stay on "to serve at his pleasure."
Seeking to quell the furor over Rumsfeld, Bush put an edge in his voice during a Rose Garden ceremony.
"I hear the voices. And I read the front page. And I know the speculation. But I'm the decider. And I decide what is best," Bush said.
During Rumsfeld's news conference, he was asked five times about his competence and allegations that he was "dismissive and even contemptuous of the advice offered by senior military officers."
Rumsfeld at first sought to duck, saying, "I've been hearing about all of this, and I kind of would prefer to let a little time walk over it," but he couldn't resist a response.
In a 1,494-word whopper of an answer, Rumsfeld said he's had to call the shots on things like "deconfliction warfighting," and "interoperability" and "leveraged capability," on top of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"And by golly, one ought not to be surprised that there are people who are uncomfortable about it and complaining about it," Rumsfeld said.
"Every one of those changes that I just described has met resistance," said Rumsfeld, who laughed off reporters' attempts to interrupt his filibuster.
"Just a minute, just a minute, just a minute," Rumsfeld said. "I was asked a question and I'm going to take all the time I want."
Rumsfeld was also asked why he hadn't offered his resignation to Bush during the current uproar as he did during the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in 2004.
"Oh, just call it idiosyncratic," Rumsfeld said with a grin.
Bum's rush for Donald
These were some of the questions reporters asked Donald Rumsfeld yesterday:
Among the criticisms that have been ... made of you by several retired generals in recent days is that you've been dismissive and even contemptuous of the advice offered by senior military officers.... Do you see validity in any of those criticisms?
Have you considered resigning to ease his [Bush's] burden?
In this Wall Street Journal opinion piece that was written yesterday by a number of retired generals, it was said that some feel that you have been unfair, arrogant and autocratic. And this was from your supporters. ... How much do you think this is about your management style?
Are you arrogant and autocratic?
Originally published on April 19, 2006
