News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinecabal-elitew-administrationdissent — Viewing Item


Army secretary resigns { April 26 2003 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38848-2003Apr25.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38848-2003Apr25.html

White Resigns As Army Secretary


By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 26, 2003; Page A01


Army Secretary Thomas E. White resigned yesterday after a two-year tenure marked by strains with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over support for an Army artillery system and controversy over White's former employment with Enron Corp.

A brief Pentagon statement announcing the resignation gave no reason for White's decision to step down as the Army's top civilian. In the statement, Rumsfeld thanked White for his service and said a departure date had not been determined.

Although speculation that White would leave his post had circulated widely for months, the timing of the announcement yesterday evening caught many in the Army by surprise. White had not informed many members of his senior staff about the move, and the Army's public affairs office also was caught off guard.

"We're a little shocked at the moment," an Army spokesman said.

Several senior defense officials said they knew of no recent event that had prompted White, 59, to submit his resignation yesterday.

White's departure opens the way for an across-the-board change in Army leadership. The top uniformed Army officer, Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, is due to finish his term as chief of staff in June. No replacement has been nominated by President Bush.

As Army secretary, White is not in the military chain of command but is responsible by law for matters relating to Army personnel, installations, weapons development and finances. A West Point graduate who rose to the rank of brigadier general, he retired from the Army in 1990 and joined Enron. He was vice chairman of Enron Energy Services when Bush nominated him to the Army post in April 2001.

His corporate ties proved both bane and boon. They were what first commended him to the job, which he took vowing to "run the Army like a business." But they also exposed him to increased scrutiny from Congress and public interest groups once Enron filed one of the biggest bankruptcy cases in U.S. history in December 2001. He came under investigation by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission over whether his contacts with former Enron colleagues violated any laws or rules, including insider trading rules.

In public testimony last year, White expressed disapproval of the accounting errors and financial misstatements of his former employer, and voiced regret that thousands of current and former employees had been devastated financially by the company's collapse. But he repeatedly denied assertions by some lawmakers that the corporate division of which he served as vice chairman helped manipulate California's energy market during the state's power crisis in 2001.

While defending his actions at Enron, White became engaged in a dispute over Rumsfeld's decision last year to cancel the Army's planned 155mm self-propelled howitzer, the Crusader. Top Army officials, including White, had strongly favored the $11 billion program, which had been in development for years. But Rumsfeld decided to cancel it in favor of newer technologies that promised lighter, more mobile precision-guided systems.

An Army lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to try to save the weapon drew Rumsfeld's ire. White was not tied directly to the lobbying, though, which involved copies of pro-Crusader "talking points" that the Army's legislative office had circulated in Congress. Rumsfeld expressed confidence in White several times, saying he had no intention of seeking White's resignation.

But White did appear to provoke more than a little annoyance again in Rumsfeld's office last month when he found himself in another dispute, this one over how large a force the United States would need to stabilize Iraq after ousting Saddam Hussein's government. Shinseki, the Army's chief of staff, testified that several hundred thousand soldiers would be needed, an estimate that was sharply rejected by Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz as grossly exaggerated.

White sought to avoid taking sides, noting, when asked his opinion by a congressional panel, that there were two views with expertise on both sides and commending Shinseki as "a very experienced officer."

Shortly afterward, columnist Robert Novak reported that White had come very close to being fired as a result of his refusal to distance himself from Shinseki's estimate. At the time, Rumsfeld's chief spokesman, Victoria Clarke, described talk of "some pivotal moment" triggering White's dismissal as "nonsense."

White's resignation marks the second departure of a service secretary in recent months. Gordon R. England left the office of Navy secretary in February to become deputy secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security.



© 2003 The Washington Post Company




bush-berlin-5-22-02
celebs
church
colonel-butler
cynthia-mckinney
GOP-elector-dissents
inauguration-2005
military
moore
rome-june-2004
Americans flock to canada immigration site after election { November 5 2004 }
Another canadian bush idiot { November 26 2002 }
Anti bush outrage eases among germans { February 23 2005 }
Argentina resort on alert for bush protests { November 3 2005 }
Armey defends liberties
Army secretary resigns { April 26 2003 }
Art exhibit has bush with gun to head
Ashcroft protect internet
Barr and armey consult for aclu { November 23 2002 }
Belafonte calls bush terrorist in caracas
British mp stomps bush doll { November 18 2004 }
Brits against bush nov20 [jpg]
Buchanan chastises bushes in right went wrong { August 22 2004 }
Bush admits disquiet in nation { May 11 2006 }
Bush aid critical { December 3 2002 }
Bush aid letter { October 24 2002 }
Bush booed at mlk gravesite
Bush dangerous not moron
Bush doll stocking stuffer
Bush has record low approval right after reelection { December 28 2004 }
Bush hitler comparison outrageous { September 19 2002 }
Bush is terrorist { August 2003 } [jpg]
Bush job approval lowest
Bush tennessee
Bush war on terror doll
Canadian calls bush moron { November 21 2002 }
Carter new face { September 5 2002 }
Carter prize dissent
Che daughter voices fears of bush
China uses george bush toilet paper
Chinese toiletpaper [jpg]
Church attacked by irs for preaching anti war
Conservatives break with bush { May 13 2004 }
Conservatives disappointed with bush
Conservatives turn on ashcroft { July 24 2002 }
Demonstrators call bush hitler on canada visit
Dick armey says doj out of control
Emimen leads mob to state of the union in video { December 3 2004 }
Eminem may face rap for prez threat { December 8 2003 }
Epa administrator resigns air standards
Eric disrupted democratic debate [jpg]
Europeans fear cowboy bush { November 6 2002 }
Farrakhan bush threat { October 8 2002 }
Farrakhan
Fbi informant ignites himself near white house { November 16 2004 }
Federal prosecutor whistleblower charged for obstruction { March 30 2006 }
Former top aide dissent war on terror { June 16 2003 }
France rejects bush war on terror
French deck of cards { September 25 2003 }
German official compares bush to hitler { September 20 2002 }
Germans protest bush [jpg]
GOP governors threaten to block arab port deal
Gop senators question whitehouse { January 13 2003 }
Gore vidal skewers bush ashcroft whole lot
Granny d { November 8 2002 }
Greens world dominance { September 27 2002 }
Half million protested gop convention
Half million rally against bush at RNC new york { August 30 2004 }
Helen thomas critical { November 14 2002 }
Helen worst president { January 28 2003 }
Hold off tax cut
Howard stern having impact against bush
Hundreds march in seattle after elections { November 6 2004 }
Iraq veteran wins congress primary on bush opposition
J28 stateoftheunion { January 29 2003 }
Jackson powell
Jagger defends anti neo conservative song { August 10 2005 }
Kenyan vp says there will be more dictatorships
Labor day protest 2003 bush
Larouche interupts debate
Logic empire { August 6 2002 }
London mayor wants bush overthrown { May 12 2003 }
Man accused of trying to run over katherine harris
Man commits suicide over ground zero over election { November 8 2004 }
Man jumps over whitehouse fence after another burns
Man sets himself ablaze at white house { November 15 2004 }
Mandela threat peace
Mayor london calls bush greatest threat to life
Mick jagger to release bush bashing song
Mother protesting calls bush biggest terrorist
Movie glorifying violent revolution tops box office
New york protesters encouters with delegates turn ugly { August 31 2004 }
Nixon aide john dean says bush should be impeached { April 2 2004 }
No confidence
No moron apology
Official denies hitler comment
Only israel and russia support bush { October 15 2004 }
Paris theatre director attacked { May 4 2003 }
Pelosi says the emperor has not clothes
Poll find bush job rating at new low { April 11 2006 }
Powell soldiers on { July 25 2002 }
Presidency faces doubt { January 26 2003 }
Protester pretending to be republican volunteer arrested
Protesters arrested near bush ranch november 2005
Protesters ransack bush headquarters in orlando { October 5 2004 }
Putin says bush using terrorism geopolitical game { December 3 2004 }
Rapper asks why bush knocked down towers { July 17 2004 }
Republican 911 dad thinks bush went insane
Republican chuck hagel criticizes bush stance on torture { November 7 2005 }
Republican congress defies bush on highway bill { April 2 2004 }
Republican congressman quit disillusioned with party { May 12 2008 }
Republican hates bush
Resistance
Retired military want bush out { June 14 2004 }
Rich colorado republicans upset with bush { September 22 2005 }
Rnc aug 29 2004 [jpg]
Roman empire dc { September 18 2002 }
Ron reagan critizes bush
Rovics j28 state of the union [jpg]
Safrica bush go home [jpg]
Safrica demonstrators protest bush
Safrica stop_bush [jpg]
Security advisor resigns
Sheehan protesting mom wants out of iraq palestine
Sign in sweden [jpg]
Some key conservatives uneasy about bush { July 11 2004 }
Stern sirius satellite radio deal drives up stock { October 6 2004 }
Student accuses bush of wars for opening markets { November 22 2006 }
Student may wear terrorist shirt { October 1 2003 }
Sweden bus stop [jpg]
Tactics Tyrants Always Transparent [jpg]
Tampa police officer threatens to kill bush for policies
Three killed at indian anti bush protests
Tractor man farmer protester considered terrorist { June 24 2004 }
Treasury demands investigation of paul oneill
Trespass charges dropped against bush protesters { July 15 2004 }
University maryland students face action for shouting at cheney { April 5 2004 }
University of maryland film targets governor
Woman wears shirt of dead son during rally { September 16 2004 }
Youth find more truth eminem than bush { July 18 2003 }

Files Listed: 130



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple