Did the White House throw the elections?(Inside Track)

Weeks before the mid-term election, it was becoming obvious that Republicans were in danger of losing control of both houses of Congress, and that the war in Iraq was the leading cause of voter disaffection. President Bush repeatedly stated that he intended to "stay the course" and that he intended to keep Iraq War architect Donald Rumsfeld on as Defense Secretary, even though top generals and many in his own party had called for Rumsfeld to go. The Bush White House convinced the GOP leadership to make support for the war, the president, and Rumsfeld a key loyalty test with House and Senate members. Many Republicans stuck by the president in support of this theme.

Now, many of those who did are angry, feeling betrayed by a president who cost them their election races by convincing them to campaign on a "stay the course" theme, while he was getting ready to dump Rumsfeld and change course. The day after the election, the president announced Rumsfeld's resignation.

On November 10, The Hill, a Washington, D.C., newspaper that focuses on Congress, ran a story with a headline that read: "GOP furious about timing of Rumsfeld resignation." The article quoted an unnamed "House GOP leadership aide" who charged: "The White ...