Pentagon Memo: Rumsfeld Meets Regularly with Top Brass

The Pentagon circulated a memorandum with talking points defending Donald Rumsfeld's management of the U.S. military. Among the points cited in the memo, according to the New York Times, are the unremarkable facts that our top generals and admirals make lots of decisions and meet regularly with the Secretary of Defense:

The memorandum begins by stating, "U.S. senior military leaders are involved to an unprecedented degree in every decision-making process in the Department of Defense." It says Mr. Rumsfeld has had 139 meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff since the start of 2005 and 208 meetings with the senior field commanders.

How a precise accouting of the number of meetings he has held with top brass refutes the charge of micromanagment escapes me. The point of course, is not how often Rumsfeld meets with the top commanders, but that the war in Iraq isn't working despite his seemingly boundless capacity for self assurance in the face of contrary evidence.
By the way, Reuters reports that Retired General Wesley Clark is now the seventh senior general to call for Rumsfeld's resignation. I think General Clark got his timing right by allowing other, less politically active colleagues speak ahead of him.