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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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:
Crooks and Liars, The Political Pit Bull, DownWithTyranny!, AMERICAblog, King of Zembla and Seeing the Forest
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.
White House:
Press Conference by the President — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I say, why all the glum faces? — Yesterday, the people went to the polls and they cast their vote for a new direction in the House of Representatives. And while the ballots are still being counted in the Senate …
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, Macsmind and State of the Day
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 …
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.
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, Opinions You Should Have, Harry's Place, The Sundries Shack and Sound Politics
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.
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:
American Footprints, NewsHog, protein wisdom, Truthdig, Pam's House Blend, The Road to Surfdom and Dohiyi Mir
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.
Discussion:
Dick Polman's American Debate, The Mahablog, Political Radar, The Heretik and Think Progress
John O'Neil / New York Times:
A Virginia Recount Would Not Come Soon — Virginia's election laws allow an apparent loser to request a recount if a contest's margin is less than 1 percent — and the margin in the preliminary results of the state's Senate election stood this morning at about one-third of 1 percent.
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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:
The Huffington Post, TAPPED, JustOneMinute, MaxSpeak, Suburban Guerrilla, The Sideshow, Macsmind and Sister Toldjah
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Washington Post:
A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right
A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, New York Times, protein wisdom, TalkLeft, Confederate Yankee, The Strata-Sphere, Outside The Beltway, Decision '08, Redstate, The Belmont Club, The Huffington Post, Hyscience, The Glittering Eye, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Agonist, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Heretik and PoliBlog (TM)
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.
Discussion:
Flopping Aces, The Political Pit Bull, Sister Toldjah, Truthdig and Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy
Daniel Freedman / It Shines For All:
U.N. Celebrates Republican Loss? — From the desk of Kofi Annan's spokesman: … Why is the U.N. commenting on member state elections? We're told that this isn't normally done. So why is the Republican loss worthy? It's almost celebratory. Does the U.N. think they'll get more support now?
Chris Bowers / MyDD:
Netroots Victories — The media and the right-wing blogospehre used to brag aobut how Dailykos and MyDD candidates never won, even though they might have heard of Barack Obama, Stephanie Herseth, and Ben Chandler. Well, welcome to our new generation of victorious netroots candidates:
Chris Bowers / MyDD:
Just A Step Forward—But What a Step! — Here is where we stand right now: — National Sweep. Democrats take the national majority in the House, Senate, Governors, and State Legislatures. The only thing Republicans have left—Bush—still sports a sub-40% approval rating.
Democracy in America:
Libertarians emerge as a force … Categories: … GLUM Republicans might turn their attention to the Libertarian Party to vent their anger. Libertarians are a generally Republican-leaning constituency, but over the last few years, their discontent has grown plain.
Timothy Noah / Slate:
Time To Socialize Medicine — HOW DEMOCRATS CAN MAKE THEMSELVES USEFUL. — May I put in a word for socialized medicine? — The Democrats have won back the House of Representatives and may also have acquired a gossamer-thin majority in the Senate. They won by not being the party …
James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — Always Look on the Bright Side of Life — This column is scrupulously nonpartisan, but we will bend the rules for a moment and acknowledge that last night's outcome was not what we were hoping for. As of now, the Democrats have picked up 28 House seats, giving them at least 228 (a majority is 218).
rushlimbaugh.com:
I Feel Liberated — RUSH: Just to reiterate, ladies and gentlemen: "It's going to get worse before it gets better." I'm not trying to be negative. I'm trying to prepare you here for what is coming. It is obvious from the president's press conference that his view is …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post