http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/19/mccain.ap/index.html

Headline: McCain: Rumsfeld is one of the worst defense secretaries

found in the article: "While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service," McCain said last year when Rumsfeld stepped down.

He really seems to want so many things both ways these days. How many fans does he still have out there?

Whether or not you agree entirely with somebody's positions or decisions, being Sec of Def is not an easy job and serving in said position for many years deserves some respect.
Love your enemy, hate his decisions, or something like that, right?

Ok, in order:

Howard Dean is more likely to become president than a Republican openly calling for the overturn of Roe; and that's what McCain just did in an effort to pander to the far right Republican base. Basically, br'er John is trying to square a circle; he has to convince the mindless reactionaries (who hate him) that dominate the Republican nomination process that he wants to give them everything they want, or they simply won't nominate him. But having gotten the nomination on those terms, he's completely unelectable.

As for Rumsfeld; respect is for someone who didn't murder the troops under his command through malign neglect.

Emperor of Rome was a tough gig too. Yet, strangely, you don't see a lot of sympathy for Nero in the history books...