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Rumsfield Bids Farewell to U.S. Troops in Iraq

United States Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfield, flew into Iraq last week to personally bid farewell to the troops serving in the country and thank them for the tough job that they are doing. Rumsfield will retire from his position this week. He submitted his resignation in early November after coming under heavy fire for the mismanagement of the war in Iraq.

Before flying out to Iraq, Rumsfield addressed Pentagon employees at his final meeting with them and had warm words about their work. In an emotional speech, Rumsfield brought up the issue of the Iraq war. Public pressure is building within and around the ranks of the Defense department to change the strategy of how the Iraq war is being handled. Recent reports ? both from non-partisan and official sources ? show that a serious rethink surrounding the war issue is required.

Rumsfield flew into Iraq under a veil of secrecy on Saturday. While security remained a major reason for the top level of secrecy, Rumsfield also had it made known that he wasn?t seeking media hype on this visit and simply wanted to spend quality time with the troops and thank as many as he could for dedicating themselves and their family life to the cause of the war. Former CIA Director, Robert Gates, will replace Rumsfield on December 18.