Donald ‘Rummy’ Rumsfeld died Tuesday, after six decades of impressive public service, and a controversial tenure as President George W. Bush’s Defense Secretary (SECDEF) – for a second time in his career. He was a brilliant man, naval aviator, Ivy League grad, congressman, businessman, and patriot. He died just short of his 89th birthday.
He was the youngest person to hold the position of SECDEF during his first time under President Ford, in 1975. During his second time as SECDEF his vision was to transform the Pentagon.
But, that was not to be. As ABC wrote of Rumsfeld: “the two-time defense secretary and one-time presidential candidate whose reputation as a skilled bureaucrat and visionary of a modern U.S. military was unraveled by the long and costly Iraq war.”
The family released a statement Wednesday that said:
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. At 88, he was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico. History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service, but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country.
I only met Mr. Rumsfeld once – in 2010 at a conservative journalist’s event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. He was down to earth cheerful and gracious. I was running for Congress at the time in Miami. After speaking with him for just a few minutes and noting my outsider campaign motto – “The Marine vs the Machine,” Rumsfeld offered to donate to my campaign.
At first, he thought the maximum contribution was smaller than it had become. I joked that things had changed since he was in congress decades back. He laughed and agreed to make the much larger maximum individual contribution then allowed.
A few weeks later he came through on his pledge. I will be forever grateful to him for that amazing gesture. A true gentleman.
As reported by USA Today:
President George W. Bush selected Rumsfeld for his second stint as Pentagon chief in 2001. Rumsfeld vowed to shake up the military bureaucracy, seeking to make it leaner and more agile.
The Sept. 11 terror attacks changed everything.
Rumsfeld oversaw the Pentagon’s response and its initial attack on al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan. With stunning speed, U.S. commandos and airstrikes toppled the Taliban from power, and a democratically elected government was established.
But then there was Iraq. A war Rumsfeld did not relish and wanted to be over quickly.
In the spring of 2003, in a lightning success, U.S. forces routed the Iraqi army and moved quickly to seize Baghdad. As USA Today notes: “Iraqi troops faded away, but there were soon signs of civil unrest. Looting was rampant, and Rumsfeld dismissed news reports, predicting ‘wonderful things’ for Iraqis.” A decade-long ‘quagmire’ ensued.
Rumsfeld also dismissed complaints from troops in combat that they were ill-prepared for the fight. He said in 2004: “As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” As true as that may be, it wasn’t what American troops on the ground wanted to hear.
USA Today adds: “By 2006, the wars and Rumsfeld’s handling of them had become a political liability for Bush. He fired Rumsfeld shortly after the midterm elections and replaced him with [Robert] Gates.”
Prior to that though, Rumsfeld was known at the Pentagon for his ‘snowflakes’ method of sending memos on just about everything. In 2018 Defense News noted:
When Donald Rumsfeld arrived back at the Pentagon in 2001, he brought with him a whole host of new ideas about reforming the department — and one particular method he used to convey his thoughts.
A flurry of short memos and tasking orders began to emerge from Rumsfeld’s E-ring office, the whitepapers quickly earning the nickname of “snowflakes.” And most anyone who worked in the building during that time has a snowflake story.
On his website, Rumsfeld said: “They quickly grew in number from mere flurries to a veritable blizzard.”
Sadly, this incredible and honorable man, known for his integrity, brilliant ideas, and ‘snowflakes,’ due to the Iraq war, was unable to radically reform the Pentagon as he had wanted. And was instead dragged down by that war.
Perhaps in a different timeline, he might have accomplished his goal and today we would have a far leaner, meaner, and more efficient and effective Pentagon, far better suited to face America’s 21st-century threats. In any case, Donald Rumsfeld was still a great man and a great American. RIP sir.
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Rumsfeld’s legacy will be his willingness to prosecute a war against a nation that did not threaten America, nor was Iraq involved in the 9/11 attack. Congress, too, should be scrutinized for aiding and abetting what was tantamount to a war crime against a Middle East nation. Wars should be our last resort to protect our nation from aggression. Instead, it now seems that the flimsiest excuses to deploy our soldier s into harm’s way will suffice.
David if you’ll remember the Bush administration was acting on so called intelligence from several allied countries. Iraq really did have weapons of mass destruction. Satellite filming showed convoys of trucks leaving Iraq and going into Syria before our troops went into Iraq. And testing showed that there had been radioactive materials in the bunkers. Our military should have stopped and checked the truck convoys. Most of our European allies came to the conclusion that sadaam Hussein, Obama’s middle name, had weapons that violated the un mandate that he not have. Also the guy was a brutal dictator along with his piece of shit sons If al gore or john Kerry had been elected we would be speaking Arab now
You are so right Dan. Even the NYT, hardly a bastion of conservatism, acknowledged that Saddam had WMDs. Now why the Bush administration wanted to hide this story (I suspect Karl Rove had something to do with it… why I have no idea, except RINOs and Democrats drink from the same mud hole) and why the NYT delineates “old” WMDs vs “new” WMDs is absurd. But read all about it: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html
Why so little attention is given to this story still amazes me today!
Like others, Rumsfeld was a war criminal involved in murderous fake reasoning wars and a big deceiver in the false flag events of 911. I pray he repented and got right with his maker before he died.
Craig you sound like a dumb ass libturd
Go look at the video and other proof of the events that day. He isn’t a libtard and neither am I learn to handle the truth; the Bush administration were no heroes! I voted Trump twice was screwed over by the elites like GW Bush in the last election.
Craig most cannot handle the truth. 3 thumbs down are for for willful ignorance.
He was a war criminal. Period.
From top to bottom, our government functioned as a regime intent upon forging U.S./Israeli Hegemony in the Middle East after 9/11. Americans wonder why our people are hated around the world. It’s because our leaders have become Emperors.
It seems to me that the liberal “critics” ever disparage Abraham Lincoln, so why should I listen to anything they have to say about Rumsfeld. And if you are asking “Has it gotten to that ?” … Yes … it has.
How do you know they are all liberals? Bush was a liberal Republican like Trump said.
There are no conservatives in the U.S. government. They are now known as “RINOs”. If there were conservatives who functioned as our elected officials, we wouldn’t be underwriting Abortions, nor would our 2nd Amendment be under constant threat. No Affirmative Action would be imposed upon our private sector or government agencies. No “Hate Crime” laws would exist. Israel would have to fund their conflicts, and support their own people. Our borders would be sealed tight, and no jobs would be allowed to leave our country under the plethora of Global Trade Agreements. Not one penny would be applied to the sale of gasoline as a tax to reverse “Global Warming”. Of course the decibel level of liberal screams would be deafening, but we would get used to that.
David I see now what you are saying and agree!
Depends. You do know that our soldiers who deployed to Iraq were calling for Rumsfeld’s resignation? Those are our brave and selfless defenders. Americans are represented by a leadership that won’t keep their big noses out of another nation’s business. They’ve bitten the Globalist Apple, and they’re funded by foreign potentates to dissolve our sovereign borders, and subordinate Americans to foreign, non-elected administrations. Rumsfeld was among those who would throw America under the Globalist bus to advance the goals of Emperors.
Did you know Lincoln was a White Supremacist? He wanted blacks sent back to Africa once they were emancipated. He also campaigned to prevent blacks from being educated, or gaining public office positions.
Here I read so many Monday morning armchair quarterbacks passing judgment on a prominent American without knowing all the facts. Whatever history may show, he did his best to protect us. Please remember the sage advice of Abraham Lincoln, to the effect that all significant decisions must be made on basis of insufficient information.