Rumsfeld and Lying

Early Warning by William M. Arkin - washingtonpost.com:

"The best reason for Donald Rumsfeld to step down as Secretary is that he has become the debate, a lightening rod who can no longer continue to perform this
important duty. America needs someone in charge of the military who can give candid answers without fear of having yesterday's candid answers thrown back in their face.

America also needs to give its leaders a chance to be wrong. The implications such intolerance to error is to push human beings up against the wall, a place where there is no good outcome."

So ultimately, who's to blame. How can any person succeed in a controversial role if we, the people who appoint them (including those in the role of the press), continue to look for every possible negative aspect of their performance and never give them the opportunity to be wrong. No one is perfect and mistakes are made - IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. What we must have are people willing to make tough decisions in the best interest of the country. Do we really want people who say "I voted for it, right before I voted against it" in these positions?

We ARE at war. We don't want to be, but unfortunately, the reality is, even if we unilaterally stop, our adversary has shown they won't. We can continue to view terrorists as criminals - like street gang thugs in our inner city - that need to be arrested, prosecuted and "rehabilitated". It's easier for us to see it that way. Nice. Neat. Civil. They, however, don't live with the same set of rules.