6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
RUMSFELD (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006
Bush said Robert Gates, 63, who has served in a variety of national security jobs under six previous presidents, would be nominated to replace Rumsfeld. Gates, currently the president of Texas A&M University, is a Bush family friend and a member of an independent group studying the way ahead in Iraq.
The White House hopes that replacing Rumsfeld with Gates can help refresh U.S. policy on the deeply unpopular war and perhaps establish a stronger rapport with the new Congress. Rumsfeld had a rocky relationship with many lawmakers.
"Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that sometimes it's necessary to have a fresh perspective," Bush said in the abrupt announcement during a postelection news conference.
In a later appearance at the White House with Rumsfeld and Gates at his side, Bush praised both men, thanked Rumsfeld for his service and predicted that Gates would bring fresh ideas.
"The secretary of defense must be a man of vision who can see threats still over the horizon and prepare our nation to meet them. Bob Gates is the right man to meet both of these critical challenges," Bush said.
But underscoring that he would not bow to those pushing for a quick U.S. withdrawal, Bush also said, "I'd like our troops to come home, too, but I want them to come home with victory."
In brief remarks, Rumsfeld described the Iraq conflict as a "little understood, unfamiliar war" that is "complex for people to comprehend." Upon his return to the Pentagon after appearing with Bush and Gates, Rumsfeld said it was a good time for him to leave.
"It will be a different Congress, a different environment, moving toward a presidential election and a lot of partisanship, and it struck me that this would be a good thing for everybody." Rumsfeld told reporters.
There was little outward reaction among officials at the Pentagon.
Rumsfeld speaks
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will speak at Kansas State University at 11 a.m. today.
Admission to the 146th Landon Lecture is limited to K-State students, faculty, staff and invited guests.
For coverage of Rumsfeld's lecture, see Friday's The University Daily Kansan.
beyond surprise at the abrupt announcement.
Asked whether Rumsfeld's departure signaled a new direction in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 U.S. troops and cost more than $300 billion, Bush said, "Well, there's certainly going to be new leadership at the Pentagon."
Voters appeared to be telling politicians that the sooner the war ends the better. Surveys at polling places showed that about six in 10 voters disapproved of the war and only a third believed it had improved long-term security in the United States.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Rumsfeld was not leaving immediately. Rumsfeld planned to deliver a speech on the global war on terrorism at Kansas State University today.
Just last week Bush told reporters that he expected Rumsfeld, 74, to remain until the end of the administration's term. And although Bush said Wednesday that his decision to replace Rumsfeld was not based on politics, the announcement of a Pentagon shake-up came on the heels of Tuesday's voting.
With his often-combative defense of the war in Iraq, Rumsfeld had been the administration's face of the conflict. He became more of a target — and more politically vulnerable — as the war grew increasingly unpopular at home amid rising violence and with no end in sight.
Marla Koenw/KANSAN
Spanish in the sum
Dylan Sands, Silver Lake junior, enjoys the weather after Olivia Fuentes moved her Spanish 111 class outside Wednesday to enjoy the warm weather. "Buen tiempo!" Sands said. This is the second time Fuentes has taken class outdoors, "but we ask her every other day if we can go outside," Sands said.
SMOKING (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Choi said Native Americans used tobacco for traditional purposes, such as in medicine and for ceremonies. He said the program was designed to stop Native Americans from smoking commercially, not from using smoking for cultural purposes.
Typical smoking cessation programs portray tobacco use negatively, which could alienate Native American smokers, said Christine Daley, a research assistant professor of preventive medicine who helped develop the program.
Jerry Briscoe, a participant in the smoking cessation group All
"That can be very insensitive," she said. "We tried to honor the cultural use of tobacco and at the same time emphasize the negative factors of commercial smoking."
Daley said the development of the program had been a community effort.
Nations Breath of Life, said tobacco was sacred to his people. Other programs that depicted it as all bad are "ineffective" and "culturally insensitive", he said.
Briscoe, also a research associate at KU Medical Center, said he liked the parts culturally specific to Native Americans, such as the emphasis on family and family support, and a "talking circle" that involved storytelling.
"It's more about the community telling us what they want and how we can help them," she said.
Briscoe has four sessions remaining in his program, which he said was "empowering" for him.
Participants meet in groups of
Kansan staff writer Darla Slipke can be contacted at dslipke@ kansan.com.
ten once a week during the first four weeks of the program, then they meet every other week for four more sessions. They also receive a phone call between sessions from a group leader. Daley described this interaction as "motivational interviewing" that allowed participants to make decisions about how they would quit.
The grant money will fund resources for a full test, including more counselors, participant reimbursement, nicotine patches, gum and lozenge.
Edited by Natalie Johnson and Patrick Ross
ALDRICH (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Looking ahead to 2007-08. Self will add Aldrich to a front-court that could include Kaum forwards Darrell Arthur, Julian Wright and Darnell Jackson, and center Matt Kleinmann.
Aldrich wasn't the only high-profile recruit on Kansas' list. Last week Derrick Rose, a five-star guard according to Rivals.com and Scout.com, committed to Memphis over Kansas. On Wednesday, James Anderson, a five-star forward according to Scout.com, committed to Oklahoma State over Kansas.
Scout.com lists three other Kansas recruits for the 2007-08 season who have yet to sign letters of intent. Four-star guard Tyrel Reed, from Burlington High School in Burlington, is the highest ranked player left on that list. The site lists Reed as the tenth-best point guard in his class.
Nevertheless, Self is focused on the player Kansas did sign, rather than the ones it didn't.
"Cole will be an excellent addition to our frontcourt," Self said. "He has terrific size and a very high ceiling for his future. He is a true five man that is very skilled. We believe he can anchor our play on both ends of the court."
Florida tip-off time moved back
Las Vegas Invitational officials announced Wednesday that tip-off for No. 3 Kansas' game against No. 1 Florida in the Invitational has been pushed back from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 25 at the New Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The game will air on ESPN2.
Kansan sportswriter Shawn Shroyer can be contacted at sshroyer@kansan.com.
Edited by Derek Korte