At roughly 1PM this afternoon, President George Bush announced the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Quickly nominated to replace Mr. Rumsfeld was former CIA Director Robert Gates, who has served on James Baker's group on Iraq exit strategy.
Future: The 110th Congress will be quickly tasked with confirming Mr. Gates appointment should the President not do this in recess. Given the current makeup (50D 49R - one contest undecided) of the Senate, debate on the appointment could be contentious.
Implications: This could be a sign that in spite of all of the rhetoric to the contrary, the President may be ready to bail out of Iraq.
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-rl
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