After Tuesday's thumping at the polls, President Bush wasted no time in removing Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary. The architect of America's flawed Iraq policies had become an overwhelming liability to a president looking for success in his final two years in office.

This was a long time coming. Rumsfeld was the one who insisted that America could effectively wage war on Iraq with a force far smaller than the U.S. military initially recommended. Consequently, America never had the troops it needed to secure Iraq in the war's immediate aftermath, setting the stage for the descent into anarchy.

Rumsfeld's no-criticism-allowed manner contributed greatly to the view that the White House refused to listen to critics or to second-guess itself on Iraq, despite mounting evidence of its policy failures there.

Now Bush has found a credentialed replacement for Rumsfeld in Texas A&M President Robert Gates. The former CIA leader also is a key member of the Iraq Study Group led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton. Gates, who has a keen knowledge of foreign affairs and membership in a bipartisan effort to improve strategies in Iraq, is just what the Pentagon needs.

Gates also has strong connections to former President Bush, which could suggest that the president's more open to the thinking of his father's foreign policy experts. The country could use the practical approach that team employed in working with allies and managing tense moments.

The Rumsfeld resignation signals to Democrats that Bush will seriously engage them. He emphasized Wednesday that he understands it's now time to stop campaigning and return to governing, particularly to find better solutions in Iraq.

Americans can only hope Democrats return the favor. The presumptive speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, has hinted she would do just that.

Rumsfeld deserves credit for returning the loyalty Bush showed him by resigning as defense secretary. Now the country has a chance to go forward.

So, too, does Bush.