SAN JOSE, Calif., March 21 (UPI) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., says it's time to replace U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and start pulling out of Iraq, a report said Tuesday.
"I say it's time to change course, to bring in another team," Feinstein told San Jose, Calif., business leaders. "We should not be putting American soldiers in the middle of a civil war with targets on their backs."
While Feinstein criticized Rumsfeld's handling of Iraq for more than a year, Monday was the first time she said Rumsfeld should be fired, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"Secretary Rumsfeld is a very strong leader, and I don't believe he listens to many people, and that's a problem," Feinstein said. "It's time for him to go."
The Democrat who is seeking re-election to a third term in the Senate said the U.S. policy in Iraq has failed and troop levels should be cut to 50,000 by yearend.
A White House spokesman, however, said President George Bush remains confident in Rumsfeld's leadership.
