Rumsfeld critics: He won't last 4 years

Jerusalem Post | Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World: "After what was deemed an insensitive comment to a soldier and a series of other verbal miscues, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has faced a smattering of criticism this past week, including from hawks who advocated the war in Iraq and have now called for the Pentagon chief to step aside in hopes that his removal could help spur a positive change in Iraq.

Despite US President George W. Bush's declaration of confidence in Rumsfeld on Monday – Bush told reporters he had asked the defense chief to stay on and declared, "I believe he's doing a really fine job" – few believe that the Pentagon chief will last the entire second Bush administration, or even until the end of next year.

Republican senators, including John McCain (Arizona), Trent Lott (Mississippi), and Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) publicly expressed a lack of confidence in Rumsfeld. But perhaps the most significant criticism came from William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a chief advocate of the war in Iraq.

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote Tuesday that, while Rumsfeld's obituary "has often been written prematurely... my guess is that Rumsfeld may finally be near the end of his nine lives."