WASHINGTON

Grieving Families Outraged over Rumsfeld Condolence Letters

By John Jessup
Washington Correspondent

December 20, 2004

CBN.com – (CBN News) - WASHINGTON - A deadly weekend in Iraq could spell more trouble ahead for next month's elections. And the President's defense chief is at the center of controversy, this time over condolence letters to families of military soldiers killed in action.

From now on, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will personally sign condolence letters to families who have lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Sue Neiderer, whose son was killed in Iraq, said that the letter "Shows me how callous and unfeeling he is and our government is."

But relatives of the deceased soldiers, and even some congressional leaders, are outraged that Rumsfeld used a machine to stamp his signature on more than 1,000 letters that have already been mailed.

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) said, “If the President of the United States can find the time to do that, why can't the secretary of defense? I think it is very reflective of his management, his style, his substance.”

Last week, the defense chief was criticized for his response to a military town hall question, planted by a reporter. But the question prompted the military to increase the production of armored vehicles on the war front.

And now officials are saying about 80 percent of the Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan have protective armor. And by next June, it will spend more than four billion dollars to outfit all the vehicles in the war zone.

While some members of the President's party say they have little or no confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld, others are saying replacing him would be too disruptive, ahead of next month's Iraqi national elections.

Senator John Warner (R-VA) said, "We're at war. We should not at this point entertain any ideas of changing those responsibilities in the Pentagon."

And the White House agrees, praising Rumsfeld's job in leading the military war on terror and transforming the military to meet the new threats of terrorism in the 21st century.

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