n November 8th, a day after the American midterm elections, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was fired by President George W. Bush; the "fall guy" for the President's failed Iraq policy. A couple of days earlier, Philippine Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz tendered his "irrevocable" letter of resignation to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

To Filipino-Americans who straddle both societies, these events are a study of what is good and bad in the Philippines and the United States.

In Donald Rumsfeld, one sees the embodiment of the arrogance and hubris of American culture. He had all the answers and he knew what was best for Iraq and the war on terror. His perspective had a kind of pragmatic modern-day "manifest destiny" rationale to it that left many global allies eventually ambivalent as to the effectiveness of the Bush administration's strategy.

The beauty of the American system however, is its ability to correct itself through peaceful means. This occurred on November 7th, at the center of the world stage. With the resounding defeat of the Republican Party, Americans repudiated Bush and Rumsfeld and their misguided Iraq policy.

In fairness to Donald Rumsfeld, he remained loyal to his commander-in-chief to the very end. This brings us to our other ex-Defense Secretary, Avelino Cruz.

President Arroyo's personal lawyer before she appointed him to the position in August of 2004, one of Cruz's stated goals was to revamp and de-politicize the Philippine Military--a military it might be noted, that is sorely lacking in military hardware and equipment.

Cruz's legacy as a Secretary of Defense remains murky as he steps down just 27 months after he was appointed. His goal of revamping the Philippine Armed Forces will remain unfinished. At a cost that "Juan De la Cruz" will ultimately have to bear.