The RumMeter: Prison Broke
May 6, 2004
What are the odds that Rummy can avoid a forced retirement?
The Latest
Can it be that something will finally stick to Teflon Don? Can it be that the crimes committed at Abu Ghraib will damage Rummy in a way the failure to find WMD, the politicization of intelligence, the flap over troop deployments, and the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq have not?
The Bush administration's contention that only a few Iraqi prisoners were tortured by only a few out-of-control soldiers is rapidly unraveling. And the blame is quickly flowing from Baghdad through Kuwait and straight to Rummy's office. Sure, the president insists that Rummy isn't going anywhere, but Congressional Democrats are again calling for the Pentagon chief's head. And the Washington Post tied a neat bow around the myriad complaints against Rumsfeld with a scathing editorial-cum-indictment.
As MSNBC columnist Michael Moran reminds us, "Congress long ago ceased to be an effective check or player in the foreign policy of the Bush administration." And the Post probably ranks somewhere close to Kofi Annan in terms of influence over the White House. But there is little reason to believe that the current scandal will die down anytime soon, and the Bush administration can't afford to remain on the defensive all summer. Which leaves us with something of a split Rummeter rating: Short term, he stays; long term, he can't survive. Overall, though, Rummy's time seems to be running out.
The Arguments
Rampant (As expressed by MSNBC's Moran): "Among those in power, the idea of Rumsfeld’s resigning at this juncture, and over this incident, is not taken seriously. Sure, President Bush dressed down Rumsfeld, but the president has little political option but to remain faithful to his defense secretary. For Rumsfeld is not merely the architect and chief spokesman for the Iraq war; he is the embodiment of it."
Rejected (As expressed by the Post): "Abuses will take place in any prison system. But Mr. Rumsfeld's decisions helped create a lawless regime in which prisoners in both Iraq and Afghanistan have been humiliated, beaten, tortured and murdered -- and in which, until recently, no one has been held accountable."
Illustration by Mark Fiore