Was Bush justified in tell an "untruth" that Rumsfeld would not be leaving?

Question

I meant telling. Sorry.

Bush knew when he told the reporter that Rumsfeld was staying that it wasn't true. He said so in his press conference.

There's a lot of hostility on this board. People are seldom fired in Washington. If someone leaves a position it's almost always said that they resigned. Just because Rumsfeld signed a resignation letter doesn't mean it was his idea.

Answer 1

it was a straight up lie

people who value Christian morality (or almost any brand of morality) should be outraged at this type of behavior

this was obviously planned, he had the sucessor all lined up already!

Answer 2

Honestly, I don't know what Bush was thinking. If we're to believe what he said on Wednesday, then Rummy's exit had been in the works for a while. Why, then, just a few days before the election would he give an unqualified endorsement to the most unpopular member of the Administration, knowing that actually telling the truth, that Rumsfeld was leaving, might have saved a few elections for the GOP? I've gotta believe that Rummy resigned only when it became clear that the Dems were going to win Congress.

Answer 3

Perhaps. But I don't think he was untruthful when he said that he would not dismiss Rummy. Did he say Rumsfield wasn't leaving? That would actually be Rummy's decision.

Bush didn't address the question of whether or not he would ACCEPT Rumsfield's resignation if Rummy decided to submit it. I don't really see that as an untruth, though. If Bush had divulged the whole story, it would have been TMI, especially before the election. Turns out, Bush was ready to accept his resignation. I don't think the issue is all that important, really.

If Rummy HAD resigned BEFORE the election, don't you think the Democrats would have said it was just an election ploy?

Love Jack

Answer 4

It was clearly a lie, he admitted as much. I don't know if it was justified but I don't think it was very smart of him. It just proved that he is willing to lie to the America people. Most of us already knew that anyway (except the blind followers among us)because he does it so often, but Bush saying outright that he lied just proved a point.

Answer 5

How many times are you Libs going to ask this question? He did not lie, after the communist party of America was successful in this election Donald Rumsfeld decide to leave before the Libs have a chance to continue their lies.

Answer 6

Little w basically played his hand wrong. They thought they were going to win, so if that would have happened, rummy would never have stepped down. Besides rummy is such an ***, in his speech he really was criticizing the US people for not being as smart as he is, when in fact at the beginning of the begging for the Iraq war they said it was going to be so easy and we would have lots of cheep oil.

Answer 7

For Dictator Dumbya, that kind of small lie isn't even a warm up for the usual mega monster flopper whoppers of his every day.
Down with Dictator Dumbya!!!

Answer 8

Well, if Bush had been planning on firing him, it would have been an "untruth", but since Rumsfeld resigned, it was an incorrect prediction.

Answer 9

No. He apologized and said he did it to get the press off his back.
But he lied. Again. And I don't care how many of you email me on this, I stand by it!

Answer 10

Can we say waffle, first he flipped and then he flopped. He must have had waffles for breakfast the other morning.