I thought Bush had made it abundantly clear that he considered any public speculation about bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq was not only irresponsible, but dangerous. To hear the president tell it, such talk emboldens our enemies and encourages the terrorists to keep fighting.
So, what did Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld do in Iraq over the weekend? He publicly speculated about bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.
The United States may be able to reduce its troop levels in Iraq after the January elections if security improves and Iraqi government forces continue to expand and improve, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday.
In a question-and-answer session with hundreds of Marines assembled in a concrete-line aircraft hangar at this desert air base in western Iraq, Rumsfeld was asked what the future holds for the length and frequency of troop deployments in the country.
[…]
“Our hope is that as we build up Iraqi forces, we will be able to relieve the stress on our forces and see a reduction in coalition forces over some period of time, probably post-Iraqi elections,” the Pentagon chief said. “But again, it will depend entirely on the security situation here in this country.”
When John Kerry said something similar, Bush said “artificial deadlines won’t work” and insisted, “You can’t do that and expect to win the war on terror.”
Any chance Bush will publicly condemn Rumsfeld the same way?