Pulled from today's press releases, here are US House representatives Tom Allen and Mike Michaud on Donald Rumsfeld's announcement a few hours ago that he will resign from his post as Secretary of Defense:
Portland, Maine-U.S. Representative Tom Allen today issued the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:
"Donald Rumsfeld's tenure as Secretary of Defense, characterized by polarization and arrogance, has not served the nation or our troops well. His resignation is long overdue. His mismanagement, combined with serious misjudgments in the President's policies, sent our troops into battle without adequate equipment and without a clear plan for stabilizing Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld's refusal to listen to uniformed professionals sowed unproductive discontent. His priorities, rushing an unproven missile defense system while cutting Navy shipbuilding, have been bad for Maine and our overall national security. I hope that this change in leadership will also usher in a new partnership between the President and Congress to rebuild our military, restore American credibility, and redeploy US forces from Iraq."
Michaud Statement
It is long past time for Donald Rumsfeld to step down and for a new defense secretary to take his place. It is my hope that the Administration will appoint a defense secretary who will embrace the change in direction that the American people have clearly called for and that we need in Iraq with our other challenges around the world. I look forward to working with the new defense secretary on issues that include seamless transition and assistance for our newest generation of veterans. We face great challenges and we must all work together to again make America the light for others to follow.