DEMOCRATS FELL RUMSFELD
Donald Rumsfeld resigned as US defence secretary yesterday after the Democratic party won a resounding victory in mid-term Congressional elections that were considered a referendum on the war in Iraq.
Mr Rumsfeld's departure comes just days after President George W. Bush said he was doing a “fantastic” job in running the US war in Iraq. The move came after the Democrats seized control of the House for the first time since the 1994 Republican revolution.
The Democrats gained as many as 27 seats in the House. The Senate hung in the balance yesterday, with Democrats looking at possible victories in Montana and Virginia, which would give them control of the Senate.
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A chastened Mr Bush said he was “obviously disappointed with the outcome” and added that “as leader of the Republican party I share a large part of the responsibility”.
At a press conference yesterday, Mr Bush acknowledged that “many Americans voted to register their displeasure at the lack of progress we are making [in Iraq]” and said he and Mr Rumsfeld felt the “time was right” for a change of leadership at the Pentagon. Mr Bush nominated Robert Gates, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to replace Mr Rumsfeld, who has been the lightning rod for Democrat, and increasingly Republican, criticism of his handling of the Iraq war.
News of Mr Rumsfeld's departure came just minutes after Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who will become speaker of the House, had called for his resignation.
As the extent of the Democrat victory became apparent yesterday, Ms Pelosi and other leading lawmakers in her party moved swiftly to reassure Americans that they would work with Republicans to pursue a moderate centrist agenda after their resounding victory in the Congressional elections.
Ms Pelosi, who was vilified by Republicans for her “San Francisco values”, pledged to work with Republicans in a “bi-partisan way”. Rahm Emanuel, who ran the Democrats election effort for the House, said “we extend a hand of co-operation to the president, our colleagues across the aisle”.
Mr Bush said he would work with newly elected moderate Democrats.
拉姆斯菲尔德辞职
唐纳德?拉姆斯菲尔德(Donald Rumsfeld)昨日辞去美国国防部长一职。此前，在被视为美国对伊拉克战争全民公决的中期选举中，民主党赢得了明确胜利。
就在几天前，美国总统布什(George W. Bush)刚刚表示，拉姆斯菲尔德在美国对伊拉克战争中的指挥“棒极了”。在民主党自1994年共和党获胜以来首次获得众议院控制权后，拉姆斯菲尔德宣布辞职。
民主党在众议院净胜27个议席。参议院昨日陷入平局，民主党仍在等待可能在蒙大拿州和弗吉尼亚州取得的胜利。如果在这两个州获胜，民主党将获得参议院的控制权。
受到挫折的布什表示，他“对结果深感失望”，同时补充道：“作为共和党领袖，我对此负有很大责任。”
在昨日举行的新闻发布会上，布什承认，“许多美国人通过投票表达自己对伊拉克问题缺乏进展的不满”。他表示，他和拉姆斯菲尔德都感到，国防部领导层的变更“现在正是时候”。布什提名前中情局(CIA)局长罗伯特?盖茨(Robert Gates)接替拉姆斯菲尔德。在对伊拉克战争的处理上，拉姆斯菲尔德一直是民主党批评的焦点，而且日益受到共和党批评。
在拉姆斯菲尔德离任的消息宣布前几分钟，即将成为众议院议长的加州民主党人南希?佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)刚刚呼吁要他辞职。
随着昨日民主党胜局逐渐明朗，佩洛西和其他民主党立法者迅速采取行动，向美国人作出保证，表示在国会选举获得彻底胜利后，他们将与共和党合作，采取温和的中间政策。
因其“旧金山价值观”而受到共和党人奚落的佩洛西承诺，会与共和党进行“两党”合作。领导民主党竞选众议院席位的拉姆?伊曼纽尔(Rahm Emanuel)表示：“我们会向总统以及共和党同僚伸出合作之手。”
布什表示，他会与新当选的温和民主党议员合作。
