Ideal world: Anger would be directed at the president who presided over the country for eight years and under whose responsibility the strengthening of our air defenses lay.
Real world: MSM directs popular anger towards the president who had been on the job for seven months.
If you really want to get POed...look at the dates on this list:
BUSH APPOINTEE CONFIRMATION LIST
DEFENSE:
Donald Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 01/20/2001
Paul Wolfowitz Deputy Secretary 02/28/2001
Dov Zakheim Undersecretary, Comptroller 05/01/2001
Edward Aldridge Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics 05/08/2001
William James Haynes General Counsel 05/17/2001
Victoria Clarke Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs 05/17/2001
Powell A. Moore Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs 05/01/2001
Charles S. Abell Assistant Secretary for Force Management 05/03/2001
David S.C. Chu Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness 05/26/2001
Douglas J. Feith Undersecretary for Policy 07/12/2001
Jack Dyer Crouch II Assistant Secretary for International Security Policy 08/01/2001
Stephen A. Cambone Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Policy 07/19/2001
James G. Roche Secretary of the Air Force 05/24/2001
Thomas White Secretary of the Army 05/24/2001
Gordon England Secretary of the Navy 05/22/2001
Susan Morrisey LivingstoneUndersecretary of the Navy 07/19/2001
Peter W. Rodman Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs 07/12/2001
Marvin Sambur Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Research and Development (Air Force) 11/08/2001
Alberto Jose Mora General Counsel, Navy 07/19/2001
Michael Montelongo Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller, Air Force 07/12/2001
Steven John Morello, Sr. General Counsel, Army 07/12/2001
Thomas P. Christie Director, Operational Test and Evaluation 07/12/2001
Dionel M. Aviles Assistant Secretary for Financial Management & Comptroller, Navy 07/12/2001
Michael W. Wynne Deputy Undersecretary for Acquisition and Technology 07/12/2001
Diane K. Morales Deputy Undersecretary for Logistics and Material Readiness 07/12/2001
William A. Navas, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Navy 07/12/2001
Michael Parker Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, Army 09/26/2001
Reginald Jude Brown Assistant Secretary for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Army 07/12/2001
John Stenbit Assistant Secretary for Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence 08/03/2001
Ronald M. Sega Director, Defense Research and Engineering 08/03/2001
John J. Young, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Research, Development & Acquisition, Navy 07/12/2001
Joseph E. Schmitz Inspector General 03/21/2002
Michael L. Dominguez Assistant Secretary for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations & Environment, Air Force 08/03/2001
Nelson F. Gibbs Assistant Secretary for Installations & Environment, Air Force 08/03/2001
H.T. Johnson Assistant Secretary (Navy) for Installations & Environment 08/03/2001
Mario P. Fiori Assistant Secretary (Army) for Installations & Environment 08/03/2001
Sandra L. Pack Assistant Secretary (Army) for Financial Management & Comptroller 11/08/2001
William Winkenwerder, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs 10/16/2001
Mary L. Walker General Counsel, Air Force 11/08/2001
Claude M. Bolton, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology, Army 12/20/2001
Dale Klein Assistant to the Secretary for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs 11/08/2001
Peter B. Teets Undersecretary of the Air Force 12/07/2001
R. L. Brownlee Undersecretary of the Army 11/08/2001
Thomas Forrest Hall Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs 10/02/2002
Charles S. Abell Deputy Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness 11/12/2002
STATE:
Colin Powell Secretary of State 01/20/2001
Marc Grossman Undersecretary for Political Affairs 03/23/2001
Grant S. Green Undersecretary for Management 03/28/2001
Richard Armitage Deputy Secretary of State 02/12/2001
William H. Taft IV Legal Advisor 04/05/2001
John R. Bolton Undersecretary for Arms Control & Intl. Sec. 05/08/2001
James Andrew Kelly Asst. Secretary for E. Asian & Pacific Affairs 04/26/2001
Lincoln P. Bloomfield Asst. Secretary for Political Military Affairs 05/22/2001
John D. Negroponte Representative to the United Nations 09/14/2001
Ruth Davis Director General of Foreign Service 05/25/2001
Paula J. Dobriansky Undersecretary for Global Affairs 04/26/2001
William J. Burns Assistant Secretary for the Near East 05/25/2001
Donald Burnham Ensenat Chief of Protocol 05/25/2001
Walter Kansteiner Assistant Secretary for African Affairs 05/25/2001
Francis X. Taylor Coordinator for Counterterrorism 07/11/2001
Pierre-Richard Prosper Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues 07/11/2001
Otto J. Reich Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Recess
Charlotte L. Beers Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy 09/26/2001
Lorne W. Craner Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 05/25/2001
Clark Kent Ervin Inspector General 08/01/2001
Carl W. Ford Assistant Secretary for Intelligence & Research 05/25/2001
Colonel Paul V. Kelly Assistant Secretary for Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs 05/25/2001
Elizabeth Jones Assistant Secretary for European Affairs 05/25/2001
Christina B. Rocca Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs 05/25/2001
Dennis L. Schornack Commissioner, International Joint Commission Recess
William A. Eaton Assistant Secretary for Administration 07/11/2001
Patricia de Stacy Harrison Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs 09/26/2001
Patrick Francis Kennedy US Representative for U.N. Management and Reform 09/14/2001
John F. Wolf Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation 09/26/2001
John F. Turner Assistant Secretary for Oceans, International Environmental & Scientific Affairs 10/30/2001
John V. Hanford, III Ambassador at Large for International Religious 01/25/2002
Sichan Siv U.S. Representative to the UN for Economic & Social Affairs 11/09/2001
Richard S. Williamson U.S. Alternative Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs 11/09/2001
Christopher B. Burnham Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Resource Management 01/25/2002
Arthur E. Dewey Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees & Migration 01/25/2002
Grant S. Green Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources 12/04/2001
David O'Brien Martin Commissioner, International Joint Commission 01/08/2002
Stephen G. Rademaker Assistant Secretary for Arms Control 08/01/2002
Paula A. DeSutter Assistant Secretary for Verification & Compliance 08/01/2002
Kim R. Holmes Assistant Secretary for International Organizations 11/14/2002
James Cunningham Deputy to US Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the UN Holdover
Alan Larson Undersecretary for Economic & Business Affairs Holdover
Earl A. Wayne Assistant Secretary for Economic & Business Affairs Holdover
Norman Wulf Special Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation Holdover
Richard A. Boucher Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Holdover Holdover
David G. Carpenter Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Holdover
Only Rummy and Powell were in place for 7 months, the remaining staff was in 6 months or less.
Seven months during which the pilots for the four flights were already in the country.