Rumsfeld Must Stay

William Safire makes a great case for why Donald Rumsfeld should maintain his post as Secretary of State.

Many leftists forget that it was Rumsfeld himself who established the bipartisan panel of experts and attorneys who in-turn recommended that Al-Quaeda combatants be given certain rights, which they were.

So lets drop the politics and allow the man to do his job. After all, our lives are at stake.
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Torture is both unlawful and morally abhorrent. But what about gathering intelligence from suspected or proven terrorists by codified, regulated, manipulative interrogation? Information thus acquired can save thousands of lives. Will we now allow the pendulum to swing back to "name, rank, serial number," as if suspected terrorists planning the bombing of civilians were uniformed prisoners of war obeying the rules of war?

The United States shows the world its values by investigating and prosecuting wrongdoers high and low. It is not in our political value system to scapegoat a good man for the depraved acts of others. Nor does it make strategic sense to remove a war leader in the vain hope of appeasing critics of the war.

This secretary of defense, who has the strong support of the president, is both effective and symbolic. If he were to quit under political fire, pressure would mount for America to quit under insurgent fire. Hang in there, Rummy! You have a duty to serve in our "long, hard slog."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/10/opinion/10SAFI.html
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