Predictably, John Kerry, Mr Bush's Democratic rival in November's election, has called for Mr Rumsfeld's resignation, as has the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

ECONOMIST: The buck stops where?

And third, John Kerry, Mr Bush's Democratic rival in the presidential campaign, has failed to gain any traction from the scandal: polls still have him neck-and-neck with the president, as voters continue to consider him aloof.

ECONOMIST: Scrambling to control the damage | The