Mike Levin: “I support the nomination of Donald Rumsfeld to be Secretary of Defense, and I urge my colleagues to support this…”

“I support the nomination of Donald Rumsfeld to be Secretary of Defense, and I urge my colleagues to support this nomination. It is important for the Senate confirm Mr. Rumsfeld today, the first day of the new administration, so that the new Secretary of Defense can assume his position in the chain of command of our armed forces. Mr. Rumsfeld is well qualified to serve as Secretary of Defense. He has a distinguished record of public service, and in fact served as Secretary of Defense in the last 14 months of President Ford's administration. Since then, he has led several large private sector companies, while still remaining active in national security policy issues. Most recently, he served as Chairman of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission and the Commission to Assess the United States National Security Space Management and Organization. President Bush announced his intent to nominate Mr. Rumsfeld to be Secretary of Defense on December 28.”