The week's news on arts, books, film and music....

From the NYTimes: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the hard-driving and super-confident Pentagon boss who came to symbolize President Bush’s controversial Iraq policy, is resigning, President Bush announced today. Mr. Bush, appearing at the White House the day after the Republican Party suffered sweeping defeats in Tuesday’s midterm elections, said he and Mr. Rumsfeld had had “a series of thoughtful conversations” and agreed that “the time is right for new leadership at the Pentagon.” Rumsfeld......

According to the Dallas Voice (by way of Burnt Orange), Austinite Edward Mokrzy - a gay Republican formerly living in Dallas - was promised support by the Republican Party in the upcoming primaries for the House of Representatives. Oddly enough, the National Republican Congressional Committee reneged on its pledge to cover his filing costs after Mokrzy announced his intention to run as an openly gay candidate and on a "government reform" platform. Color us......