From the Department of Tough Shit

According to the Times, they've been planning to fire Rumsfeld since the summer. Only they didn't do it. Because, "Mr. Bush ultimately postponed action until after the election in part because of concern that to remove Mr. Rumsfeld earlier could be interpreted by critics as political opportunism or as ratifying their criticism of the White House war plan in the heart of the campaign."

So they did it the day after they lost, and the Democrats get credit for it. Now a whole bunch of ousted republicans are angry as all get-out and want to know why the fuck didn't Bush dump Rummy before the election? This is best summed up by a wonderful schadenfreud-y quote from Newt Gingrich: "If the president had replaced Rumsfeld two weeks ago, the Republicans would still control the Senate and they would probably have 10 more House members. For the president to have suggested for the last two weeks that there would be no change and then change the day after the election is very disheartening."

So why did they wait? Realistically it makes no sense at all. I can only refer back to my earlier post and say that they had boxed themselves in. They made the decision to live and die by Stay the Course. Looks like they died by it.

Tough shit.