What’s in Store for Don Rumsfeld
An interesting article at TIME.com about former US secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld:
What’s next for Donald Rumsfeld? The former Defense Secretary, not surprisingly, has had talks with publishers about the possibility of writing a book. But a longtime adviser tells Time.com that Rumsfeld has other, even more ambitious, plans.
Rumsfeld, who was Pentagon boss from 2001 to 2006 and oversaw the planning and execution of the Iraq war, is in the early stages of setting up an educational foundation that would provide fellowships to citizens who want to try their hand at public service.
The foundation, which is still in the idea stage and thus remains unnamed, would be financed by Rumsfeld himself and provide funds for Americans with experience outside of government to do a stint in public service.
Such an approach would match Rumsfeld’s own career in government, which was dotted with long stretches of time in the private sector. He was elected to Congress in the early 1960s, did stints in the Nixon and Ford administrations and briefly in the Reagan era. In between, he ran several large corporations and became quite wealthy. He returned to Washington in 2001 as Defense Secretary after nearly a two-decade absence. He resigned last November as public support for the war in Iraq collapsed.
Rumsfeld was in New York this week meeting with a executives from a number of different publishing houses.
Though he has no stated plans to write his memoir, he is open to the idea. “He hasn’t made a decision to write a book,” said Larry Di Rita, a former spokesman who Rumsfeld authorized to speak to time.com. “He is not shopping a proposal. That’s not where his head is. He is still in the information gathering stage.”
I do hope that Rumsfeld will pen down his memoirs: it would be fascinating to read the story of one of the worst secretaries of defense in modern US history.
No, seriously: it would be fascinating to read about his great career (which it was, whether you’re a fan of Rumsfeld or not, you’ve got to admit that he had one heck of a career), and, more specifically, about his years as SecDef under George W. Bush. Definitely a book I would buy.
4 Responses to “What’s in Store for Don Rumsfeld”
I disagree Michael, to your observation that Rumsfeld was “one of the worst secretaries of defense in modern US history.”
You are attributing Bush’s responsibility to Rumsfeld.
His plan for the Iraq War actually made sense. Topple Hussein, hand the keys over to someone, and get out. It was Bush who changed the game plan after the win…when he got into the idea of nation-building. Rumsfeld shifted gears, as he had to, but Rumsfeld never planned to build a nation. That was Bush’s bag.
I believe Rumsfeld will be regarded as a transformative Sec. of Defense. He transformed the promotion structure of the Pentagon, on merit rather than the “old boy’s network”.
Clinton is adored by liberals…but he never had the political courage to cancel a single weapon system, or close a single domestic base.
Rumsfeld cancelled an entire generation of aircraft carriers, the Cheyenne attack helicopter, the Crusader mobile howitzer…and pushed through a range of domestic base closings that everyone knew had to be done…but no one had the guts to do before. It got through Congress by a single vote, I recall.
It was Rumsfeld who moved the military towards a post-Cold War environment…with less heavy armor and more mobile, tech-oriented battlefield forces.
The Battle of Fallujah was the epitome of this strategy. Urban warfare is invariably brutal. But with Predators and satellite providing real-time battlefield info to troops in the field, the insurgents never stood a chance. It was a textbook example of urban warfare…and will be rated as such by military historians for years to come.
For all these reasons, Michael, I would suggest Rumsfeld’s rep in the history books will be different from what you suggest.
Marlowe- Rumsfeld will still be tied in with the loss- because he could have spoken up and didn’t. If he felt Bush’s decisions were wrong he could have protested loudly. He never said anything- so the “I was just taking orders” excuse doesn’t work. Also he was not a very good manager-no one in the military could work with him.
Komrad Marlow – Rummy was going to prove that his new military vision would be the future of the US military and wars. While the initial march to Bahgdada made for good press, it left arms caches and militants free do do what they wanted. Forget about capture and hold, hitech unmanned military was the future. Well Rummy was proven wrong on that and his denial is criminal. His book will be full of(BS) like “you go to war with the military you have”….
I guess you haven’t read anything but official government reports about the Battle of Fallujah. Read Thomas Ricks’s history of the two battles of Fallujah.
There is nothing advanced or new about bombing the sh*t out of a city and then killing whatever people are left starving inside the rubble. Most of the insurgents had already fled.