*** Politics

Fascinating article from the Daily News about political rifts in the Bush Administration. The article is sourced to only "Bush sources" so who knows how legit this is. Nonetheless clearly worth the read for speculation about Rumsfeld and Powell being replaced if Bush is reelected in 2004. Seriously, you should read the whole article, but here are the choice Rumsfeld quotes:

"The President feels let down," one well-placed source told The News. "He feels as if Rumsfeld was unwilling to come and get help [for the postwar effort] and thinks his inability to trust anyone other than his immediate subordinates created a serious, ongoing problem in both Afghanistan and Iraq."

Moreover, the source added, "After the war, Rumsfeld wanted to get back to [Pentagon] modernization and transformation and took his eye off the ball."

and Powell:

"Powell has basically absented himself from this situation because he wanted Rumsfeld to fail - and believe me, the President's unhappy about that, too."

and Rice:

"[Rice] emerges as the winner."

via Steve Gilliard
- posted by David @ 11:37 PM