Why Did Rumsfeld Resign Now?

By now, we all know that Donald Rumsfeld resigned.

So the question now becomes why. OK, not so much why he resigned, but at the timing of the *wink* resignation. Because it's hard to fathom why the immensely unpopular Secretary of Defense would resign the day after the Republicans lost both Houses and six governorships.

One thing this election proved is that Karl Rove is no evil genius. He is, perhaps, a one-trick pony. While his tactics saved a few seats, they also laid the groundwork for the epic Democratic wave.

One huge tactical mistake was leaving Rumsfeld in his Sec of Defense position throughout the election season. Rumsfeld was a lightning rod for anti-Iraq criticism. So, again, why now?

Perhaps they felt that if Rumsfeld stepped down in the leadup to the elections, it would look like a desperate ploy. I can see them debating whether to leave Rumsfeld in charge until after the elections or not -- then the proximity to the elections made the decision for them. A Rumsfeld election any time in the last week would be seen for what it would be -- a desperate ploy.

That is one possible reason. The others are more concerned with Bush himself than the GOP as a whole.

Perhaps Bush realized he would be a lame duck President with a hostile (yes, hostile -- Dems aren't happy with the way he's run campaigns or the country lately) and needed something to appease the new Democratic majority.

He can't get rid of his boy wonder, the aforementioned Rove, so he got rid of someone who had been facing increasing pressure to leave.

Another even more cynical reason is Bush wanted to show that he is independent. Rumsfeld is part of the old guard, one of Bush's longest advisers; this could be the first "resignation" in a series of many among his inner circle.

Perhaps Bush is worried about his legacy. Bill Clinton certainly was worried about his legacy in his final years. So Bush wanted to do something to boost his approval ratings. And what better than to have one of the more controversial figures in the administration step down (well, winning the elections would have helped more, but you catch my drift).

Or maybe Rummy was always on the way out and he had to do it now so his new nominee could get in. The new nominee, former CIA chief Robert Gate, was close with Papa Bush. Read it in a Daily Kos recommended article from earlier today.

Are any of these right? Probably not. But I -- and many around the country -- still wonder: why now?