By: E&P Staff Why did President Bush tell a big fat, or white (depending on your perspective), lie a few days before Election Day when he assured wire service reporters that Pentagon chief would serve out his entire term? For one thing, this didn't help Republican candidates around the country who wore Rumsfeld around their necks like an albatross in many parts of the country.
White House press secretary Tony Snow said Thursday morning that Bush did not announce before the election that Rumsfeld was being replaced because journalists likely would have written: "President Bush, down in the polls, jettisons unpopular defense secretary."
Snow said that would have given the misleading impression that the decision to change leaders at the Pentagon was done in haste, or for political reasons. Bush said Wednesday that he had been discussing this scenario with Rumsfeld for some time. It is important to send the right signals not only to the American public, U.S. troops and lawmakers that the president is not making decisions based on political calculations, Snow said.
Snow added, "This decision had been made and was going to happen win, lose or draw for Republicans in the election. There was no epiphany moment, where the two of them said, 'Ah ha, this needs to happen.' "
"This began to emerge over time," he said.
At a later briefing today, Snow was asked if any other Bush comments in recent weeks were fudged and are now "inoperative." He said no.
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