Dianne Feinstein: “I rise today in support of a no- confidence resolution on the leadership of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.…”

“I rise today in support of a no- confidence resolution on the leadership of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. Secretary Rumsfeld has overseen a failed strategy, policy, and military tactics for Iraq that have weakened the state of our national and homeland defense. Despite clear evidence that our current strategy is not working, he has stubbornly stuck to a deteriorating course. We need a new direction. ``Staying the course'' is not the answer and Secretary Rumsfeld has been the key proponent of this failed policy. I first publicly called for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation 6 months ago, after watching 3 years of mismanagement of our war effort in Iraq. And, since that time, I have become more convinced of the importance of changing the leadership at the top of the Department of Defense. In truth, the Bush administration's failed strategy and tactics in Iraq have significantly diminished the United States' standing in the world and made waging the global war on terror more difficult. Despite optimistic reports by Pentagon officials regarding the security situation near Baghdad over the past several weeks, it is clear that Iraq is on the edge of civil war. For example, in recent days news agencies have reported that: 40 bodies, 25 of which had been blindfolded and executed by gunshot, were discovered in a mass grave in Baghdad--this from the New York Times.…”