Rumsfeld's got more lives than a cat

In 2001, you may recall, the long knives were out and pointing at Donald Rumsfeld. The blustery SecDef had promised a reform of the military, but it stalled as commanders bristled at Rumsfeld's condescending attitude towards them. The Secretary of the Army was opently contemptuous of his boss. It was thought that Rumsfeld was on the political version of a suicide watch.

September 11, as we were reminded throughout the '04 campaign, "changed everything," including Rumsfeld's status in Washington. He was again a top dog in the Bush administration.

Rumsfeld again looked shaky last year, as the prisoner abuse scandal seemed to have as its origins directives coming directly from Rumsfeld's office. But that scandal, though it continues to percolate, has been effectively cordoned off by the military, keeping the focus on relatively low level soldiers.

But now John McCain has weighed in.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican who is a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, said his comments were not a call for Mr. Rumsfeld's resignation. President Bush "can have the team that he wants around him," the senator said.

But asked about his confidence in the secretary's leadership, Mr. McCain recalled fielding a similar question earlier. "I said no," he said. "My answer is still no. No confidence."

Mr. McCain estimated that 80,000 more Army personnel and 20,000 to 30,000 more marines would be needed to secure Iraq.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, said Mr. Rumsfeld had "relied upon the judgment of the military commanders to determine what force levels are appropriate."

Too bad he didn't rely on General Shinseki when he indicated -- based on experiences in the Balkans -- he would need several hundred thousand troops to secure Iraq. He was rebuffed by Rumsfeld's deputy instead.

But never mind. The long knives are out again and the rumors of a resignation are rife.

Rumsfeld stays. Accountability has never been the watchword of this administration. Image, however, has always been.