Top Items:
Associated Press:
GOP officials: Rumsfeld stepping down — WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday. — Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.
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CNN:
Rumsfeld quitting as defense secretary — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush announced Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down from his post. — "The timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon," Bush said at the White House Wednesday afternoon.
Jim Young / MSNBC:
Bush announces Rumsfeld stepping down — President taps ex-CIA chief Gates to replace embattled defense secretary — After six years on the job, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will resign, President said Wednesday. — NBC VIDEO … WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld …
Discussion:
Right Wing Nut House, Hot Air, Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, Tom Watson, Iowa Voice and State of the Day
Think Progress:
VIDEO: Bush Admits He Lied About Rumsfeld For Political Purposes » — Last week, President Bush unequivocally told a group of reporters that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney would "remain with him until the end of his presidency, extending a job guarantee …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, The Political Pit Bull, DownWithTyranny!, AMERICAblog, King of Zembla and Seeing the Forest
Fox News:
DONALD RUMSFELD RESIGNING AS DEFENSE SECRETARY — WASHINGTON — Donald H. Rumsfeld is stepping down as defense secretary and former CIA Director Robert Gates will be nominated to take his place. — Rumsfeld, President Bush's sole defense secretary in six years of leadership …
Associated Press:
Bush says Rumsfeld is stepping down — WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped down as defense secretary on Wednesday, one day after midterm elections in which opposition to the war in Iraq contributed to heavy Republican losses. — President Bush said he would nominate Robert Gates …
Discussion:
NewsHog, American Footprints, protein wisdom, Pam's House Blend, Truthdig, The Road to Surfdom and Dohiyi Mir
Washington Post:
Democrats Reclaim House; Control of Senate Pending — Democrats easily recaptured the House last night, but control of the Senate hung in the balance today, after a bitter midterm election campaign dominated by war, scandal and questions about President Bush's leadership.
The Allen Report:
President Bush's Opening Gambit for Surviving Divided Government — Despite his dramatically weakened political position, the President plans to stand up to Democrats and challenge them to work with him on issues he has been promoting. But the opposition now has little reason to cave.
David Stout / New York Times:
Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary After Big Election Gains for Democrats — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the hard-driving and super-confident Pentagon boss who came to symbolize President Bush's controversial Iraq policy, is resigning, President Bush announced today.
Discussion:
Political Animal, Blogcritics Section, BLACKFIVE, The Reaction, CorrenteWire and Althouse
William Branigin / Washington Post:
Rumsfeld to Step Down as Defense Secretary — Bush Taps Former CIA Director Robert Gates as Successor — President Bush today announced he is replacing Donald H. Rumsfeld as secretary of defense, saying a "fresh perspective" is needed at the Pentagon to deal with the war in Iraq.
Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:
Democrats win House; Senate now tied — WASHINGTON - Democrats won a cliffhanger race in Montana on Wednesday that brought them to the brink of control of the Senate, after Americans sick of scandal and weary of war ended the Republican majority in the House.
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Hugh Hewitt / Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog:
The Good News And The Bad — I have to assume that the Dems will get the Senate as well as the House, though Conrad Burns may be able to pull off an upset, in which case I hope the GOP in the Senate reject the silly rules they agreed to the last time the body was 50/50.
Washington Post:
A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right — The political pendulum in American politics swung away from the right yesterday, putting an end to the 12-year Republican Revolution on Capitol Hill and delivering a sharp rebuke of President Bush and the Iraq war.
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Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
No. — I ask you, considering the margins that we are looking at this morning in a whole lot of the races that the Democrats won yesterday, in both the House and the Senate, what was Rahm Emmanuel thinking saying this: … Let me get this straight, we have just taken back the House and …
Discussion:
TAPPED, The Huffington Post, JustOneMinute, MaxSpeak, Macsmind, Suburban Guerrilla, The Sideshow and Sister Toldjah
Associated Press:
South Dakota abortion ban rejected — SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A ballot measure that would ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota was rejected on Tuesday. — With 59% of the precincts reporting, opponents of the ban had 55%, or 98,182 votes, to the supporters' 45%, or 79,444 votes.
Discussion:
Inside Higher Ed, Balkinization, Blogcritics Section, Kesher Talk, Redstate and Kiko's House
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Bull Moose:
KOSenfreude* — The Moose gloats and kvells. — There is great joy in Mooseland. The nutroots have struck out. Joe Lieberman has prevailed. The vital center is victorious! — Read and weep, dear nutroots, … Yes, there is justice. Joe took a brave stand by putting country before party.
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Jennifer Medina / New York Times:
'Liberated' Lieberman Likely to Be Courted by Both Sides
'Liberated' Lieberman Likely to Be Courted by Both Sides
Discussion:
Reason Magazine
Washington Post:
The Voters' Message — SIX YEARS OF nearly unbroken one-party rule have not been healthy for the country. The apparent Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives yesterday is a good thing. Republicans won control of the House in 1994 promising a change from Washington business as usual.
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
The Great Victory - crushing the developing myths — (updated below) — The outcome of this election — even with the not-yet-fully-finalized Senate victories in Virginia and Montana — is as resounding and clear as it gets. For exactly that reason, all sorts of devastated Bush followers …
Reuters:
Minnesota sends first Muslim to Congress -media — Source: Reuters — MINNEAPOLIS, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Voters elected a black Democrat as the first Muslim in Congress on Tuesday after a race in which he advocated quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and made little mention of his faith.
Mike Allen / Time:
Hastert Will Step Down — Exclusive: The Speaker bows out of the Republican leadership after Democrats take his power. The contest to succeed him will help define the Republican Party in a new era of divided government. — House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will not seek reelection …
Discussion:
Wonkette