Don Rumsfeld needs to be fired immediately. Yesterday during a Pentagon briefing he decreed that the press should no longer be referring to the insurgents in Iraq as insurgents. Ever since the end of the invasion in April 2003, the Iraqi’s that have been fighting back against the US occupation have been referred to as insurgents. Now Rumsfeld says:

This is a group of people who don’t merit the word `insurgency,’ I think

According to Dictionary.com an insurgent is defined as:

Rising in revolt against established authority, especially a government.

I suppose that if you consider that neither the current Iraqi government nor the American occupation force might be considered an established authority, then the forces fighting against the American military might not qualify for the term insurgent. Of course by this argument the “Iraqi government” doesn’t qualify for the term either. It seems that the shrub administration thinks it can finally defeat the insurgency by simply redefining them out of existence.

During the same briefing the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Peter Pace got into a disagreement with Rumsfeld about the mistreatment of prisoners.

A reporter asked Pace what U.S. commanders in Iraq are supposed to do if they find Iraqi forces abusing prisoners. Pace replied that if inhumane treatment is observed it is a service member’s duty to stop it.

“I don’t think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it _ it’s to report it,” Rumsfeld said, turning to Pace.

Replied the general: “If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it.”

Don Rumsfeld is a total embarassment and disgrace. The attitude of this asshole permeates down through the ranks and has lead to the abuses that have occured at Gauntanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. It is good to see Gen. Pace standing up to Rumsfeld and saying what is right. He is setting the right example for the troops. Hopefully the troops will hear these words and know it alright to do the right thing and not follow illegal orders. It is never right to torture and abuse prisoners. It is also counter productive. When your enemies hear about these practises it just hardens them against you. Just look at the situation in Israel and Palestine. The Israeli’s have been torturing Palestinian prisoners for decades and it has not stopped the violence there. US and Iraqi troops have been torturing prisoners for the last three years and the insurgency has only gotten worse over time. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and all their cronies need to be removed from office and put on trial for war crimes. America needs to cleansed of this plague.

Over on AmericaBlog they have an interesting post today on the possibility of removing shrub from office. The 25th amendment to the constitution deals with circumstances of removing or temporarily replacing the the president if the the president dies or becomes incapacitated. It reads as follows:

Twenty-Fifth Amendment – Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability

Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principle officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

In general, I would love to see shrub yanked for being mentally incompetent. However, at this point in time, the treatment may well be worse than the disease. If the president is removed, the vice-president takes over. And handing the reins to Tricky Dick II is not a thought I can stomach. Now if the big time dick is indicted and is forced to resign, that opens up a whole new ball game. If the democrats in congress can grow some balls and actually have some impact on the selection of a replacment vp, then the 25th amendment might actually be a palatable alternative.