Will Rumsfeld's Departure Lead to a Change in Course in the War on Terror?

The resignation of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld today has raised hopes among many that his leaving will herald meaningful shifts in the American involvement in the Iraq War, and perhaps even presage some fresh thinking about the American war on terror.

And there is every chance that the newly assertive and confident voice of the American left, the Democratic party, and significant elements of the military will have an impact on the direction of American foreign policy in its wars. It seems quite clear that the Democratic win, and the deep dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq it represented, will embolden the Bush administration to pursue some version of military disengagement, if possible.

A shift in policy toward the war on terror is a murkier matter, and will evolve more slowly, if at all. There will certainly be no change on the ground, in areas of U.S. engagment in the foreseeable future. As Col. Tom Collins,the chief U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, responded today: "The global war on terror continues in Afghanistan, and for the troops here, there's really no change in their day-to-day job." Read more ...

Also see: Rumsfeld Resigns (Kathy Gill, U.S. Politics Guide)