Honestly

you'd have to go a long way in American public life to come up with a politician more bereft of ideas than Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Here, he tells the American Legion that critics of his leadership are "appeasers" or closet Nazis or some damn thing.
I do seem to recall though, that Rumsfeld is the only serving member of the cabinet to have shaken hands with Saddam Hussein circa 1983 when the Reagan admin was stumping the middle east looking for worthwhile anti-communists.
That scene wherein Rummy clasps Saddam on the shoulder and smiles is worth replaying any time the Defense Secretary gets up on his high horse and starts lecturing the trogs about "appeasement".
Well the reason for all this dickless bluster is simple, the war is going badly (how many killed today and how is that new Iraqi Army standing up to Sadri's street gang?)so Rumsfeld and the admin need to clous the air with as many imprecations in an effort to confuse the democratic response to his own catastrophic leadership.
When in doubt, question the other guy's patriotism its the old GOP game going back to congressman Dick Nixon.
The answer to all this though is simple, target Rumsfeld and more importantly Cheney. Neither of them rate very highly in public opinion polls right now, it is their lack of judgement, their naivete and their egotism that has lead the nation into this mess.
Keep up that drumbeat and lets see what happens.