WASHINGTON — President Bush gave his forceful and unequivocal backing Friday to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, issuing a rare personal statement to express "my full support and deepest appreciation" for his work in the war on terrorism.
Moving to head off a potential political crisis, Bush directly addressed recent criticism of Rumsfeld by retired senior generals, saying he had personally witnessed -- and endorsed -- the way the Defense secretary interacted with uniformed personnel.
"I have seen firsthand how Don relies upon our military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how best to complete these missions," Bush said. "Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period."
Bush issued the statement after speaking with Rumsfeld on Friday about military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and personally voicing his support. Bush said Rumsfeld had been given the difficult job of modernizing the military, suggesting that the process of "transformation" may have drawn the ire of officers.
The presidential statement came at the end of a week in which two retired Army generals who commanded divisions in Iraq, Maj. Gen. John Batiste and Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., called for Rumsfeld's resignation, accusing him of arrogance and of mismanaging the war.
Two other retired generals involved in Iraq policy -- Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory S. Newbold, former director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, who headed training of Iraqi forces in 2003 -- also have called for Rumsfeld to step down, as has retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, former head of U.S. Central Command.
The mounting criticism of Rumsfeld and recriminations over the war also come as Bush's approval ratings are falling and public support for the conflict is declining. Even among U.S. troops in Iraq, 72% favor withdrawal from Iraq within a year, and more than one in four favor an immediate pullout, according to a survey released in February by Zogby International and Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.
An administration official said Friday that the White House was particularly concerned that the generals' remarks could gain momentum over a long holiday weekend in which Bush, vacationing with his family at Camp David, Md., would be out of the limelight.
