Rumsfeld to step down -- US defense official

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the face of US war policy and a lightning rod for critics worldwide, will step down, a US defense official said today.

The imminent announcement by US President George W Bush, follows dramatic victories by Democrats in yesrterday elections fueled by public anger over the Iraq war in which Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives and were close to taking the Senate.

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