Pressing Republicans for a Yes or No
Of course a no-confidence vote on Rumsfeld would not be binding on the President and would have trouble passing the Republican-controlled Senate. But the point isn't, as Chuck Schumer says, to "send a message that the administration's policies in Iraq are failing." The American people already know that they are failing. The point is to tie Republican incumbents, like Senator Kyl (R-AZ), Talent (R-MO), Burns (R-MT), Dewine (R-OH), Santorum (R-PA), and on and on. Even better, in races for an open seat, like here in TN, we need to put the Republican candidate to a simple test: would you or would you not support Rumsfeld in a Senate vote? They can't just be allowed to vaguely support the President but imply they understand mistakes were made. Every candidate needs to answer directly whether they support the war's chief architect, apologist, and executor.