General knowledge By Trudy Rubin

Retired Lt. Gen. Gregory S. Newbold, a three-star Marine who was the top Pentagon operations officer before the invasion, wrote last week that the decision to invade Iraq “was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions – or bury the results.”

[mjh: “swagger” is what folks in Texas call “walking like a jackass”]

Bush rejects calls to replace secretary
By Tom Raum, Associated Press

Pulling rank, President Bush yesterday rebuffed recommendations from a growing number of retired generals that he replace Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. “He has my full support,” said the commander in chief.

I like David Brooks’ interpretation that Bush will never fire Rumsfeld because Bush has been involved in every misstep and can’t blame or punish Rumsfeld for mistakes Bush supported completely. mjh

Bush Speaks Out for Rumsfeld By Peter Baker and Josh White, Washington Post Staff Writers

Bush and his advisers [believe] that attacks on Rumsfeld by prominent former military commanders strike at the heart of his presidency. As Bush’s choice to run the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rumsfeld serves as his proxy, and most of the judgments that have come under fire were shared by the president and Vice President Cheney as well. …

The defense of Rumsfeld in effect was the first act of new White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten, who took over as Andrew H. Card Jr. left the West Wing yesterday afternoon for the final time as Bush’s top aide. …

A poll of 944 troops serving in Iraq released by Zogby International and LeMoyne College did not ask about Rumsfeld but found that 72 percent think the United States should withdraw within a year and more than a quarter think it should leave immediately.