Liberal Values Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought

The Washington Post reports that Democrats are seeking a no confidence vote on Donald Rumsfeld.

Under assault from Republicans on issues of national security, congressional Democrats are planning to push for a vote of no confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this month as part of a broad effort to stay on the offensive ahead of the November midterm elections.

In Rumsfeld, Democrats believe they have found both a useful antagonist and a stand-in for President Bush and what they see as his blunders in Iraq. This week, Rumsfeld compared critics of the war in Iraq to appeasers of Adolf Hitler, a hyperbolic attack that Democrats hope will backfire.

But even before that attack, Democrats and some Republicans had maintained that Bush has never held anyone in his administration accountable for decisions in the Iraq war that many military analysts say went disastrously wrong. The decisions include not mobilizing enough troops to keep the peace, disbanding the entire Iraqi army and purging all members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party — including teachers and low-level technocrats — from the Iraqi government.

“Secretary Rumsfeld’s stewardship of this effort is a failure, and he has let down our armed forces,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who is pushing for the no-confidence move.

By demanding accountability, Democrats hope to blunt what has been an all-out assault on their positions on national security. The Republican National Committee yesterday blasted Democrats again as “Defeatocrats,” and the attacks will continue when Congress returns next week from its month-long recess. Republican leaders plan to consider a full slate of security-related legislation before leaving on Sept. 29 for the campaigns.

Rumsfeld’s recent attack on critics was the subject of strong rebuttal from Keith Olbermann (video here) who reminds him that this is still a democracy, even if just barely, and that all voices count. The Los Angeles Times calls on Rumsfeld to “pipe down.” I agree with this critiicsm of Rumsfeld, but ultimately those really responsible for both the failed polcies in Iraq and the atmosphere in which dissent is not tolerated must be held accountable–George Bush and Dick Cheney.