Welch steps up public assault on Rumsfeld

Author: Katherine N. Doorley

In a strong statement issued last week, the President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate and Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives Peter Welch called for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Welch's comments were quickly posted all over the internet, prompting coverage in dozens of political web logs and an almost immediate response from one of his Republican challengers.

In his statement, Welch argued that, "Rumsfeld's leadership has been characterized by bad judgment, arrogance and a refusal to listen." Welch elaborated on this statement by listing what he considers to be a pattern of actions and misdeeds by Rumsfeld. Among the events mentioned were accusations that Rumsfeld and the Bush administration chose to misrepresent the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in order to gain legitimacy for the second Gulf War, and that Rumsfeld dangerously underestimated both the insurgency and the post-war political situation in Iraq.

"We owe our military commanders and troops far more respect than Secretary Rumsfeld has given them," Welch continued. "Rumsfeld recklessly disregarded the advice of senior military commanders and experts, and has failed to execute or even articulate a plan for the war's end." If elected, Welch has vowed to pursue a resolution in Congress that would hold the administration more accountable for events in Iraq.

This is not the first time Welch attacked Rumsfeld or the Bush administration for their conduct surrounding the war in Iraq. During a live web log of the President's State of the Union address, Welch commented that he believes Rumsfeld should be fired.

Nor is Welch's campaign a stranger to controversy. In recent weeks, his campaign has undergone scrutiny because his campaign manager works on a Political Action Committee with the lawyer who filed a complaint about the legality of Welch's main opponent, Martha Rainville's, campaign fundraising operations. In addition, Welch fought a hard battle for the support of liberal Vermonters, as despite having the endorsement of Bernie Sanders; he faced an early challenge from David Zuckerman, a Vermont Progressive. However, Zuckerman decided not to run, leaving Welch as the spokesperson for the Vermont left.

Within a short time after his comments were published, Welch's main opponent in the November elections, a former Adjunct General of the Vermont National Guard, issued a statement criticizing Welch for engaging in "political gamesmanship." Rainville argued that, "demanding the removal of Secretary Rumsfeld is not going to hasten the dismantling of the worldwide terror network or ensure security of our homeland, nor will it speed the process of turning responsibility for the security of Iraq over to the Iraqi defense forces."

The other Republican challenger for Sanders' seat, Mark Shepard, refused to comment specifically on Welch's statement when asked his thoughts.

Despite the underground media coverage received by Welch's statement, it is highly unlikely that Rumsfeld will actually be removed from office. Thus, the actual purpose of Welch's remarks, beyond appealing to his liberal base and again underlining his disagreement with the politics and policies of the current administration, is not entirely clear.

Controversial or not, it does not appear that Welch will retreat from his comments. Thus, for the moment, the vision many Americans will have of the Democratic candidate is that of the man who said, "I call for Rumsfeld's resignation because his poor judgment has unnecessarily put Vermonters and Americans at risk and has undermined our ability to accomplish our goals."