
In this chaotic news cycle it may be tempting to tune out, but we hope you won’t—only an informed and engaged public can defend democracy. In these times of deep political polarization we need news that goes beyond play-by-play headlines, news that goes to the heart of each story by asking people to tell their own stories of abuses of power and injustice in their own words. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.
Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman
In this chaotic news cycle it may be tempting to tune out, but we hope you won’t—only an informed and engaged public can defend democracy. In these times of deep political polarization we need news that goes beyond play-by-play headlines, news that goes to the heart of each story by asking people to tell their own stories of abuses of power and injustice in their own words. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.
Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman
We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.
Please do your part today.
President-select George W. Bush yesterday selected Donald H. Rumsfeld, a veteran Washington insider and champion of missile defenses, to be secretary of defense. Picking Rumsfeld, a former Navy fighter pilot and Illinois congressmember, brings to the Pentagon’s top job a man with a military experience and stature on Capitol Hill to press Bush’s priorities to modernize the armed forces and build a missile shield against what they perceive as emerging threats. Rumsfeld, more than any other, has driven the debate over whether to build a national defense system. In 1998, the former Republican congressman, former ambassador to NATO and former secretary of defense oversaw a commission that concluded that “rogue” nations could threaten the United States with ballistic missiles sooner than analysts had predicted. The commission’s report and a North Korean missile test a month later led the Clinton administration to propose its own limited version of a national missile defense. Republican Senator Jon Kyl, an ardent advocate of a missile defense system, said the Rumsfeld report was the main reason the debate was gradually turned around and the administration turned around.
Media Options