Rumsfeld has record of favoring Saddam's ouster
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, January 3, 2001
WASHINGTON Ñ Donald Rumsfeld is no stranger to the Middle East.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, this will be Rumsfeld's second tour as
U.S. defense secretary. Over the weekend, President-elect George W. Bush
nominated Rumsfeld as defense secretary.
Rumsfeld, 68, headed the Pentagon under the Ford Administration from
1975 to 1977. He is known as a vigorous supporter of a U.S. campaign to
undermine Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
In 1998, Rumsfeld signed a letter urging President Bill Clinton to
recognize the Iraqi National Congress as Iraq's government in exile. This
became the basis of the Iraq Liberation Act.
The secretary-designate is also known as a firm supporter of national
missile defense.
"He's going to be a great secretary of defense Ñ again," Bush said.
Bush said he wants to restructure the department to make U.S. forces
more
mobile. The president-elect said he would look into skipping generations of
military hardware to ensure that the military has the best weaponry.
Bush also reiterated that he would add $1 billion to the $310 billion
defense budget for a higher military pay raise.
In 1998, Rumsfeld headed a bipartisan commission that concluded that
U.S. intelligence had underestimated the missile threat to the United
States. He joins Vice President-elect Richard Cheney and Secretary of
State-designate Colin Powell, all of whom have rich military and defense
experience.
Wednesday, January 3, 2001
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