Four U.S. military newspapers will publish an editorial on Monday, asking President George W. Bush to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The editorial, posted on the Website of the Army Times on Saturday, said Rumsfeld "has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large."

"His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt," it said.

The article, first reported by CNN, said Bush, Vice President Cheney and Rumsfeld have made "one rosy reassurance after another," such as "mission accomplished," the insurgency is "in its last throes," and "back off."

American military leaders generally "toed the line," but a few retired generals eventually spoke out from the safety of the sidelines. "Now, however, a new chorus of criticism is beginning to resonate. Active-duty military leaders are starting to voice misgivings about the war's planning, execution and dimming prospects for success," said the editorial.

The article said the call for Rumsfeld's resignation at this moment "is not about the midterm elections."

The editorial would appear Monday in the four weekly publications - Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and the Marine Corps Times - that serve the four main branches of the U.S. military, CNN reported.

The timing of the editorial's publishing was not prompted by the Nov. 7 midterm elections, but was inspired by Bush's statement this week that he wanted Rumsfeld and Cheney in their posts through the end of his term, Robert Hodierne, the senior managing editor for Army Times Publications, the papers' parent company, was quoted as saying.

Army Times Publications was owned by the Gannett Company, publisher of USA Today and many local U.S. newspapers, according to the CNN report.

Source: Xinhua