Ex-NATO chief joins call for Rumsfeld's sacking

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...4/s1617005.htm

4/16/2006

A former commander of NATO, Wesley Clark, has joined six other retired United States generals in calling for the resignation of the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

He says Mr Rumsfeld has also lost the confidence of some serving officers, because of his handling of the war in Iraq and because they believe Mr Rumsfeld does not listen to advice.

General Clark, who was a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2004, said Mr Rumsfeld had pushed the US into war in Iraq, before the diplomatic process had ended.

Speaking on a US news channel, he said this had been a tragic mistake.

General Clark said Mr Rumsfeld had made bad policy choices and had not done an adequate job.

But General Richard Myers, who up until last year was America's most senior military officer, joined President Bush in defending Mr Rumsfeld.

General Myers said that during four years as joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, he had never heard such complaints about Mr Rumsfeld.