War Chief Ousted

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2007 — -- Washington insiders and military experts were caught by surprise today with the announcement that Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would be let go after President Bush had planned to nominate him for another term at the post.

Pace is closely identified with the way the Iraq War has been fought, and his reconfirmation hearing on Capitol Hill promised to be a tough one.

Senate Democrats and Republicans on the Armed Services Committee warned Defense Secretary Robert Gates that reappointing Pace would bring a contentious hearing with a focus on years of failures in Iraq, right around the same time Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to report back on the progress of the surge strategy.

Gates said while he wanted Pace to continue as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he decided a bruising confirmation battle was not worth it. "The focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future," Gates said. "There was the very real prospect the process would be quite contentious."

In May, Gates first alerted the president that his consultations with Congress about the renominating pace were going poorly.

This morning, Bush was informed that the new nominee for his senior military adviser would be Adm. Michael Mullin, the current chief of naval operations.

"I am disappointed that circumstances make this kind of a decision necessary. I wish that that were not the case," Gates said.

Foiled by His Own Politics?

Pace was first appointed vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs in October 2001, and four years later he would become the first Marine named to the top job of chairman of that group.

He was later nicknamed "Perfect Peter" at the Pentagon and was criticized for being a "yes" man to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"There was no doubt that many folks felt that Gen. Pace was too compliant with the directives of Secretary Rumsfeld and he should have spoken up more forcefully," said Gen. William Nash of the Council on Foreign Relations and an ABC News consultant. "At the same time it's an obligation of the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff to serve loyally both the defense secretary and the president."

He was also assailed for painting overly rosy pictures of the situation in Iraq.

Just last year Pace insisted, for instance, that sectarian violence had been quelled, and appeared on the Fox News Channel on March 5, 2006, to say, "The Iraqi people, Kurds, Shia, Sunni, walked up to the abyss, took the look in. Didn't like what they saw, have pulled together, have pulled back from violence," Pace said.

Pace was also quite political in a job traditionally removed from politics. He went so far as to write a letter of support for former White House aide "Scooter" Libby who was sentenced to prison this week for his role in the CIA leak case, in hopes he might receive a lighter sentence.

"Obviously the job was not good enough to warrant confirmation for a second tour," Nash added.

Bush issued a paper statement today to say he appreciates Pace's long and distinguished service to the country. But given Bush willingness to fight with Congress over any number of issues his unwillingness to do so for Pace speaks volumes about his confidence in the man, and his desire to revisit the last six years of Iraq policy in a contentious hearing.