Rummy takes the fall

Not that I am sad to see Rumsfeld out but I wonder why he's the one to take the fall for the Republicans. He's done a long list October 2004, April 2006 part 1, April 2006 part 2, April 2006 part 3, October 2006, of things that are evidence of his incompetence, but I still wonder why the GOPs failure in this election is the impetus for his leaving.
I just wish I could have been a fly on the wall during these negotiations, cause who else was a candidate for taking the blame? There are so many possibilities...

I received an elated email from a friend anticipating an immediate and dramatic change in the way Washington does business with the Democrats in power, and I just can't get that excited. Different doesn't necessarily mean better, and I have yet to see any Democrats willing to stick their neck out on the things that are really going to be obstacles to our country's success in the future.

Who's the leader on climate change policy? Or domestic poverty? Who's going to revamp our immigration (and I'm not just talking Mexico)? Who's going to save us from ourselves in Iraq? Who's going to revamp the priorities of our education system? Who's solving the health care debacle, not to mention the impending Social Security disaster?

Yes, the Democrats are taking over, but what will that really entail? More moderation?

This gets right to the heart of the inadequacies of our political system, because no incentive exists for courageous politicians willing to incite disapproval from their constituents to achieve noble goals in the short or long term. US culture encourages normative behavior, especially in electoral politics. There will be changes, yes, and for the better for some, most definitely. But "the beginning of the end of the darkest period in the history of American government", I think not.

We can only hope...

And some words of wisdom from the man himself...