there's a rumor that bush is quietly trying to find a replacement for donald rumsfeld. there was a time when replacing rumsfeld could have been a really good political move (e.g. just after the abu ghraib story broke). as much as i would love to see rummy go replacing him now could turn into a huge political blunder.
the problem is that the secretary of defense must clear a senate confirmation hearing. giving an opportunity to debate the administration's failings in iraq is not a smart thing to do just before 1/3 of the senators are up for reelection while 61% of the public opposes the war in iraq.
of course, because control of the senate could change hands, maybe bush feels this is his last chance to replace rummy with another loony neo-con. or maybe bush thinks he can time the hearings so they occur during a lame-duck session in november or december.
on the other hand, it is just a rumor. and even if it's right, i'm not that hopeful that bush would tap anyone who's any better. as atrios says, anyone stupid enough to take the job won't be an improvement.
