"I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof."
Thus the 74-year-old U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld referenced Winston Churchill at the press conference announcing his resignation yesterday.
"After a series of thoughtful conversations, Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that the timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon," U.S. President George Bush told reporters at the White House in an early afternoon press conference.
A gloomy GOP took this latest hit as it nursed its lost House majority with the Senate majority looking increasingly bleaker. The single undecided Senate seat in Virginia shows Democratic challenger James Webb with an extremely narrow lead over Republican incumbent George Allen.
Reactions from the Tufts community to Rumsfeld's stepping down ranged from resignation to shock.
"I was stunned by the announcement," Associate Professor of Political Science Jeffery Taliaferro said.
Though he suspected that Rumsfeld would likely not stay long, he did not expect the departure so soon.
Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Berry called the timing of the announcement "intelligent"; it will "wrap up the bad news" with election results and the Republicans' loss of the House.
Tensions in the administration over the war in Iraq and Rumsfeld's role in that conflict have long been building.
"He's long been a divisive figure," Berry said. "The Bush administration has been resisting firing him for years."
Berry said former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and former Secretary of State Colin Powell had both called for Rumsfeld's ousting, calling Rumsfeld's resignation "long overdue."
"Lots of people have been saying that this should've happened for a long time," Assistant Professor of Political Science Vincent Phillip Munoz told the Daily.
Never a stranger to controversy, Rumsfeld's policy made him loyal friends but also many enemies inside the beltway and around the world.
Taliaferro speculated that the decision came not of Rumsfeld's own volition, but from the initiative of Bush aides who saw Rumsfeld's inflexible position unworkable in a more bipartisan environment.
"This is a defense secretary who is associated with a failed war in Iraq which has had disastrous consequences for U.S. interests in the region," Taliaferro said.
Taliaferro said Rumsfeld had the chance to resign with the public disclosure of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Taliaferro said Tuesday's turn of events made for a clear message. "I think this is one of the few times in U.S. history when the midterm election was nationalized," Taliaferro said.
"It was a signal to the Bush administration that the American people have completely lost confidence in his ability to conduct a fight and win in Iraq," he said.
But what does it mean, and what's next?
"The problem is, we're trapped," Berry said. "[Rumsfeld's successor Robert Gates], Bush and Rice are going to try and find out the best way to up-trap us."
As for the next secretary, he said, the "best thing he or she can do is preside over the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq."
President Bush has announced his pick to replace Rumsfeld, the 63 year-old current president of Texas A&M University and former CIA director Robert Gates.
According to the Washington Post, Gates is a close friend of the Bush family, serving as deputy national security adviser to George H. W. Bush and as deputy CIA director during the Reagan administration.
According to the Post, the earliest Gates can be confirmed by the Senate is January. In the meantime, Rumsfeld will remain at the helm in the Pentagon.
President Bush described Gates as "a steady, solid leader who can help make the necessary adjustments in our approach to meet our current challenges."
Republicans nevertheless realized that the tide has turned against the war, as exit polls confirmed Tuesday, Berry said.
"They don't want to suffer from another election like last night's."
And will giving Rumsfeld the boot buy back any political capital from a disillusioned public?
Bush hopes so. "Don Rumsfeld has been a superb leader during a time of change," he said during his press conference. "Yet he also appreciates the value of bringing in a fresh perspective during a critical period in this war."
Berry thinks a change in tactics might help.
"It signals that there is fresh thinking," Berry said.
Others aren't so sure.
"A change in leadership may not sway the people, but results will sway public opinion," Munoz said.
James Bologna contributed reporting to this article.
