So, Rumsfeld "GOT IT"

Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

"In my view it is time for a major adjustment," wrote Mr. Rumsfeld, who has been a symbol of a dogged stay-the-course policy. "Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough."

Nor did Mr. Rumsfeld seem confident that the administration would readily develop an effective alternative. To limit the political fallout from shifting course, he suggested the administration consider a campaign to lower public expectations.

"Announce that whatever new approach the U.S. decides on, the U.S. is doing so on a trial basis," he wrote. "This will give us the ability to readjust and move to another course, if necessary, and therefore not 'lose.' "

"Recast the U.S. military mission and the U.S. goals (how we talk about them) - go minimalist," he added. The memo suggests frustration with the pace of turning over responsibility to the Iraqi authorities; in fact, the memo calls for examination of ideas that roughly parallel troop withdrawal proposals presented by some of the White House's sharpest Democratic critics.

You have to wonder if this is why he was fired, that he actually entered the reality based world that the rest of us live in. Mr. Bush must have been shocked to have someone say - hey - we suck - this just isn't working and maybe the Democrats (GASP!) are right. Maybe we need to listen to Jack Murtha.

Clearly, he had to go.

What really bothers me, and should bother all of us, is that our men and women dying and being injured on the battlefield should not be political. Everything this administration does is political. When do we release the study group's findings? After the election. How do we fight this war - by "limiting political fallout."

I don't care what your political affiliation - that should make you angry.