Forgive you, why? You hung me out to dry

Ahhh, President Bush. In the days before the election and his abrupt firing of Donald Rumsfeld, whom the President had just a week before voiced full support for, Rumsfeld prepared a memo suggesting a sea change in Iraq, including a drawdown of troops among other options. Not surprisingly, Rumsfeld was fired.

I don't shed any tears for Rumsfeld, who was not the puppet Colin Powell was in the leadup to the war but an ideological leader. Rumsfeld, along with Cheney and Wolfowitz, were the architects of this war and not simply loyal cheerleaders. They deserve what comes to them, whether it be public hatred, loss of status, or loss of power.

However, it seems just so predictable that when they steadfast ideologue Rumsfeld shows the smallest sign of pragmatism, he gets canned. Did Rumsfeld, who for three years referred to nearly every attempt to criticize the war effort as unpatriotic, finally open his eyes? Or, did Rumsfeld see the writing on the wall and realize that since he was heading out the door anyway he might want to try to save some of his legacy?

Conclusions, from a historical perspective?