Thomas Sowell on Rumsfeld

From over at NRO, the wonderfully erudite Sowell calls it the The Washington Meat Grinder: Casualties of public service.

It is hard to think of any secretary of Defense who has ever been popular and Donald Rumsfeld certainly did not become a historic first in that department. He did not suffer fools gladly, even though they are a major constituency in Washington.

Whatever history’s verdict on the Iraq war and on Secretary Rumsfeld, both deserved to be discussed and debated on a far more serious and responsible level than the media sound bites, political spin, and venomous cheap shots which have become all too common.

Whether Donald Rumsfeld’s policies were mistaken or not, that is no reason to accept superficial and even gutter-level discourse on momentous national issues. There was a time when even politicians understood that.

You can agree or disagree with his actions during his stint as Defense Secretary, but I'd really love to see Rumsfeld speak candidly and let it all hang out. There are plenty of guttersnipes out there who deserve some castigation.