"I am pleased that President Bush accepted Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation. As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to carefully considering the President's nomination of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

"Most importantly, I believe now is the time for a new policy in Iraq.

"I remain committed to working with my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to change the course in Iraq. Today, our Democratic Leader called on the President to convene a bipartisan Iraq summit and I strongly support this idea with the hope for a better strategy. Our brave men and women in the Armed Forces deserve no less."