Bush loyalists come out to savage Rumsfeld

WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Former White House and military officials say ex-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's arrogance helped derail the presidency of George W. Bush.

As revelations of Biblical-themed intelligence report covers favored by Rumsfeld put the former defense secretary in a bad light, other high-ranking Bush loyalists anonymously came forward to tell GQ Magazine that Rumsfeld's presence in the White House was a key reason for Bush administration's downfall.

"Don did not like to play well with other people," one cabinet official told the magazine in an oft-heard complaint that GQ said nearly everyone in the White House, except for Bush himself, seemed to share.

"There was exasperation," another senior aide said. "'How much more are we going to have to endure? Why are we keeping this guy?'"

The magazine said its interviews revealed that former Bush administration insiders blame Rumsfeld for hindering the White House's performance on everything from Iraq to America's diplomatic relations with other nations to the safety of U.S. troops -- even for Washington's response to Hurricane Katrina.

"In many ways, Rumsfeld was more interested in being perceived to be in charge than actually being in charge," a Bush national security adviser told GQ.