I don't like Rumsfeld, but this stunt is a part of the most partisan, coordinated effort to influence an election ever undertaken by the American media. All of the usual suspects have joined arms to lie, distort, cajole, and incite the American public to turn out the hated Republicans.
They may succeed (in this election), but I think that in the long term they have committed collective hari kari. I certainly will never again buy a copy of the Army Times or USA Today.
I don't know how many other military people will respond as you have, but I must say that Gannet seems to be taking a suicidal risk to their profits for the sake of what will probably be a very minor political gain for the Democrats. I hope they suffer the consequences they deserve for pulling a blatant stunt like this.
Maybe the military needs to find some other way of announcing promotions and similar matters of interest, instead of releasing them through these newspapers. They are attempting to violate the principle of keeping politics out of the military, and they have violated, in perception if not actuality, the constitutional principle of civilian leadership of the military.
"All of the usual suspects have joined arms to lie, distort, cajole, and incite the American public to turn out the hated Republicans."
Smacks of desperation, doesn't it?