- WASHINGTON (AP) - Accused
of being insensitive to U.S. soldiers in Iraq and their families, Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld received a fresh endorsement Monday from President
Bush, who called him "a caring fellow."
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- "I have heard the anguish in his voice and seen
his eyes when we talk about the danger in Iraq and the fact that youngsters
are over there in harm's way," Bush said at a White House news conference.
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- Still, a poll suggests slippage in public support for
Rumsfeld.
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- Just over half in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll, 52 percent,
said Rumsfeld should resign, and 36 percent said he should not. Rumsfeld's
job approval has been dropping, with 41 percent now approving and 50 percent
disapproving. People were evenly split on Rumsfeld's performance in May,
but most approved of his handling of the job about a year ago.
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- Congressional criticism of Rumsfeld has increased in
recent weeks, with lawmakers of both parties accusing him of appearing
indifferent to soldiers' pleas for more armored vehicles. Some have complained
about his use of a mechanical device to sign condolence letters to military
families whose loved ones have died in battle, rather than signing them
himself.
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- "My goodness, that's the least that we could expect
of the secretary of defense, is having some personal attention paid by
him," Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. said Sunday. Rumsfeld said last week
he will personally sign letters in the future.
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- Bush, who personally signs condolence letters, was asked
why he was willing to overlook Rumsfeld's failure to do the same.
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- "I know Secretary Rumsfeld's heart," Bush said.
"I know how much he cares for the troops," adding that Rumsfeld
and his wife visit hospitalized soldiers "all the time to provide
comfort and solace."
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- He said beneath Rumsfeld's "rough and gruff, no-nonsense
demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military and
deeply about the grief that war causes."
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- Rumsfeld's tough demeanor made him hugely popular after
the Sept. 11 attacks and during the military campaigns to topple the Taliban
government in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
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- But the substance of Rumsfeld's performance also has
come in for severe criticism.
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- Many say false prewar assumptions about Iraq and a lack
of planning for postwar operations led to the problems seen in Iraq today.
As casualties mounted in Iraq, some lawmakers viewed Rumsfeld as arrogantly
dismissive of their concerns that the Pentagon wasn't providing enough
troops to stop the growing insurgency. Some Democrats called for his resignation
after revelations of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners created an international
furor.
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- In recent weeks, several Senate Republicans have questioned
whether Rumsfeld should resign. But powerful senators, including Majority
Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Armed Services Committee Chairman John
Warner, R-Va., say Rumsfeld should stay.
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- The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan,
has declined to call for Rumsfeld's resignation, blaming Bush's war policies
for problems in Iraq.
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- "If I thought those policies would change by changing
the secretary of defense, I'd be all for it," Levin said on CNN. "But
I don't see that that is the ticket to policy changes."
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- Asked what Rumsfeld needs to do to rebuild lawmakers'
trust, Bush said the secretary will "continue to reach out to members
of the Hill, explaining the decisions he's made."
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- "And I believe that in the new term, members of
the Senate and the House will recognize what a good job he's doing,"
Bush said.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4684402,00.html
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