Iraqis and US military react to Rumsfeld resignation

(9 Nov 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Tracking shot of US armoured vehicles driving in Taji district, north Baghdad
2. Tracking shot of road
3. Tracking shot of US armoured vehicles driving
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Colonel Al Kelly, US Army:
''I don't think it is either positive or negative at this point, (former US Secretary of Defence) Donald Rumsfeld has made a good job for the country, he's done a good job for what's happening in Iraq. There are a lot of decisions that he made that people aren't happy with, but he made some hard decisions, and when you're I that kind of position, you're not always going to be positive, or be liked by everybody, particularly making those decisions.''
5. Various of people reading newspapers
6. Headline reading (Arabic) "Iraq war toppled Rumsfeld"
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Faris Fadhil, local resident, vox pop:
"As far as I'm concerned we pay no heed whether this or that US minister has resigned, the US policy will remain as it was. No change will happen. The occupation continues and the security situation goes from bad to worse. It worsened day by day."
8. Mid of people reading papers
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Abdel-Hussain, local resident, vox pop:
'' Rumsfeld was supposed to resign after Abu Ghraib scandal (prisoners abuses). America did nothing good to Iraqis. It destroyed the country.''
9. Street scenes
STORYLINE
The announcement of the resignation of US Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hit the headlines of Iraqi newspapers on Thursday morning.
Rumsfeld was a key architect of US President George W. Bush's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the bungled post-war occupation of the latter.
On Wednesday, Rumsfeld resigned from his post and became the latest casualty of those conflicts - a victim of a war he steadfastly contended the American public simply did not understand.
He introduced America to "shock and awe" bombing during the ferocious assault on Baghdad in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom - a tactic meant to force a quick surrender by the Iraqis.
Some Iraqis in Baghdad said they believed Rumsfeld's departure and the election results would not change the US policy in Iraq.
"No change will happen. The occupation continues and the security situation goes from bad to worse," one Baghdad resident told AP television on Thursday.
Rumsfeld had twice previously offered his resignation to Bush - once during the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in spring 2004 and again shortly after that.
Both times the president refused to let him leave.
As recently as last month, when the latest in a series of critical books on the war was published, Rumsfeld snapped at reporters asking about his future.
But with US war casualties climbing beyond 2,800 and American troop levels in Iraq stuck at about 152,000 with little hope of significant reductions anytime soon, Rumsfeld became a political liability the administration could no longer endure.
Even the independent Army Times, which serves the armed forces, called for him to resign earlier this week.
US soldiers patrolling the streets of Baghdad on Thursday reacted to Rumsfeld's departure.
"I don't think it is either positive or negative at this point," said Colonel Al Kelly. "Donald Rumsfeld has made a good job for the country, he's done a good job for what's happening in Iraq. There are a lot of decisions that he made that people aren't happy with, but he made some hard decisions, and when you're I that kind of position, you're not always going to be positive, or be liked by everybody, particularly making those decisions.''

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...