Debbie

Fully agree – if Stormin Norman was an inspiration during the 1991 Gulf war, Rummy was it during the more recent one. I thought it was a shame that the Bush admin let him go after the GOP debacle in 2006. The reason they lost was not b’cos of Rummy, but b’cos of the belief of Bush that the Army should be a Meals-on-Wheels program. That’s a bad idea to start w/, and even worse when applied to savages like Muslims.

Sad thing is that while he was running things, we had those hacks like John McC(l)ain doing their best to micromanage the war in Afghanistan, and accusing Rummy of ignoring the Generals. It was particularly in the context of transformation of the military that McCain was such a saboteur.

My only reservations about him – when the Syrians were helping feed Sunni terrorists into Iraq, Rummy shied away from advocating that they be crippled as well. Since the US was in Iraq, they should have gone all the way into Syria, and even Hizbullah, and used the opportunity to take out Iran’s nukes as well.

Infidel Pride on February 9, 2011 at 2:23 am

He was real, and did not do what he did for personal gain.

Worry01 on February 9, 2011 at 4:02 am

“The reality is, however, that these weapons (nuclear weapons) are proliferating throughout the world and people unlike them (the Russians) are getting them, the Saddam Husseins of the world. And they aren’t — they don’t behave according to the same sets of rules. And I think that a policy of vulnerability to ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of someone like Saddam Hussein is not a policy at all — it’s mindless. And we simply ought to recognize that, set aside that treaty, go beyond it, recognize the Cold War is over, get over it, change our language, change our approach, fashion a new construct that makes sense for the 21st century.”

Donald Rumsfeld 2001

Preposteroso on February 9, 2011 at 4:42 am

I’m sorry Rumsfield is the guy that got the FDA to approve aspartame as a sweetener and made a bunch of money from that. When Rumsfield was with Searle, the FDA refused to approve aspartame because it was unsafe, but then he gets a high position in the government and the FDA approves it. Aspartame is toxic and should never have been approved.

fireheart on February 9, 2011 at 7:45 am

Great man. I always appreciated what he did for our great country and the steel determination he showed. True warrior. Are you watching Obama….???? Learn how a real man conducts himself…

TheSarge on February 9, 2011 at 7:51 am

Deb,

I’m not sure who edited the video but they cut short a salient point the Mr. Rumsfeld was about to make regarding the criticism
that he and the Bush Admin. received over its various policies regarding Gitmo, rendition, etc. and how those same policies are still in effect today ……… go figure!

J: Hmmm . . . I saw it as it aired live on Monday Night on “Nightline,” and I assumed these videos were the full interview based on my cursory view of them. Too bad if they cut that off b/c his answer was terrific. He said that Gitmo and rendition worked and saved lives and that Obama knows this b/c he’s doing the same thing and, after campaigning to shut it down, Obama is still using Gitmo and hasn’t closed it b/c he knows it’s the best way to deal with the terrorists and save lives. DS

Joe on February 9, 2011 at 8:48 am

I always liked Rummy—but he did support the war in Iraq, Debbie. (I didn’t support the nation building, but I did support the butt kicking to get rid of Saddam—in my view, we should have searched and destroyed, killed Saddam, and then gone after Iran while supporting the Kurds—leave Fallujah and the rest to the assorted idiots—the purpose of our military is to destroy scum, not nation build. The idea is to let our friends know we will support them, but not to beg for anyone’s good will.) That is a flaw in an otherwise estimable man.

Occam's Tool on February 9, 2011 at 10:09 am

This idiot was the architect of one of the worst debacles in American history, killing thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Sen John McCain said it best:”Thank God Rumsfeld was relieved of duty!”

Rot in Hell, Rummy!

Norman Blitzer on February 9, 2011 at 12:43 pm

I liked rumsfeld but he was excoriated in the press and by the talking heads. I’m glad he is being revived and praised now.
I never thought an news anchor could be as bad as Katie Couric but Diane Sawyer surpasses her in her left wing pandering and phoney emotional delivery.

Tim on February 9, 2011 at 1:36 pm

Can’t wait to read his memoirs. Finally somebody writes his story after he has accomplished something worth writing about.

I like how even this post has so many in here hating him and vilifying him, even five years in retirement. That’s what made Rummy great. He knew how to get the job done for the country, piss off those within the country who deserved to be pissed off, and crack a smile at the result. He is one of the few conservatives out there who has never bothered to try and please the liberals in the media. He understood that they would hate him, didn’t care to change the fact, and preferred to make them fume instead. Great man.

Brian R. on February 9, 2011 at 3:13 pm

Donald Rumsfeld is actually receiving the “Defender of the Constitution” award at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Read the following article for a different take on Rumsfeld (best line in article is “Giving Rumsfeld an award for defending the Constitution is a bit like giving Kendra Wilkinson an award for sexual modesty or Charlie Sheen an award for sobriety”):

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/constitution/6247-rumsfelds-defender-of-the-constitution-award-has-few-defenders

ramjordan on February 9, 2011 at 5:48 pm

Despite the endless liberal attempts to savage and vilify this man, I believe history will remember Donald Rumsfeld as a great man, just as is the case now with Ronald Reagan.

—

Agreed!

P. A. Triot on February 9, 2011 at 6:34 pm

If you want to get a better idea of what the FDA had to do with Donald Rumsfeld, take a look at Jim Turner’s interview:

http://www.soundandfury.tv/pages/rumsfeld2.html

Intercept Media on February 9, 2011 at 7:10 pm

Debbie,

I propose that next time you review a really good movie that is better than four Reagans, that you add a Rumsfeld?

Example:

“The King’s Speech”

Four Reagans, plus a Rumsfeld.

The only problem is, it might be a while before you get a chance to do it (of course, I hope that I’m wrong on this point.)

JeffE

JeffE on February 10, 2011 at 12:50 am

Donald Rumsfeld is always a great American in my book. The man received the harshest criticisms from others and all bounced off from him like bullets bounced off from Superman.

Bobby on February 10, 2011 at 10:47 am

If your not For the Constitution, Rummy is a good choice.

If you like the toxic effects of Aspartame, again, Rummy is a good choice.

I do like the Constitution, and a Month ago, I removed Aspartame, MSG, and High Fructose Corn Syrup from my diet.

http://www.mercola.com/

http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/

http://www.donaldmiller.com/

Neocon, Limbaugh interviewed Rummy. Never asked about the constitution.

Steve on February 10, 2011 at 11:44 am

I’ve been thinking about your post about Rumsfeld and I’m kind of torn. On the one hand, he did a great deal to force some tough thinking into the minds of the military leadership so that they actually had to justify their proposals and recommendations. I also found it touching that he would get visibly choked up about his son’s addiction and his wife’s
serious illness. But on the other hand, he dismisses his own culpability when some of his tough scrutiny backfired on him. On the need for more troops, Rumsfeld said that GEN Franks thought he had enough troops to win in Iraq. Put another way, GEN Franks was unable to convince Rumsfeld of the need for more. Was the decision process geared toward making sure we had ENOUGH troops in Iraq, or to making sure we didn’t have too many? I think there may be a few situations like that in his book. And if you believe Rumsfeld, his position at the top of the Pentagon meant he was the person ultimately culpable for that, or at least more so than Franks.

Let me give you an example that touches on my personal life in a small way. Then-Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN Shinseki, had testified before Congress that the US probably needed over 200,000 troops to secure Iraq. [Sidebar: When I was a First Lieutenant in Germany, Shinseki was my Brigade Commander.
So he was three levels of command above me. Yet 7 years later when I met him again he remembered that I had been one of his officers and even what battalion I was in. I thought his decision on the berets was silly and disagreed with other things, but the man was a gentleman.] What many people
don’t know is that Shinseki wasn’t trying to poke Rumsfeld in the eye. He tried to get around answering directly, but couldn’t. Why? Because by law the service chiefs must give THEIR OWN opinion when testifying before Congress. They can’t just spout the party line and say everything’s fine. So how did Rumsfeld react to that? First he impugned GEN Shinseki in his press conference. Then while GEN Shinseki was getting ready to give a speech at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, he got a call from one of his aides saying that in a few minutes Rumsfeld was going to announce Shinseki’s replacement. Even though Shinseki had a year to 18 months left in his tenure (I’m foggy on the details of the timing but it’s about that), this would become public knowledge. And Shinseki had no notice of it. In a bureaucracy like the Pentagon, that hamstrings you. For
the rest of your time, everyone knows you’re leaving and they can just wait you out. ESPECIALLY because everyone knew that such an announcement was meant to publicly take the CSA down a peg, and it was meant as a warning to others. A Frenchman once said that the British would occasionally execute
one of their admirals, “pour encourager les autres” – to encourage (or warn) the rest. This was Rumsfeld’s way of doing that. All this is based on my understanding of what happened and why. I could be wrong on it, but I’m
willing to stand by my interpretation until somebody else tells me I’m wrong.

Rumsfeld’s right that the inertia in the Pentagon is staggering at times. I’ve had to deal with it many times on active duty and still do today. But in that interview he was being disingenuous when he poo-poo’d how he could
intimidate the generals by saying these men had been in combat. I’ve known lots of men who found actual combat easier than combating bureaucratic decision-making. Rumsfeld is an incredibly intense and intelligent man. His questioning no doubt included some references to the intelligence or
integrity of these men. I don’t know that first-hand but I would be surprised if it didn’t. To some of them that’s harder than combat wounds.

I’m still not convinced that he truly wanted to resign and leave. If he had honestly thought his value to the President was turning negative and distracting, he should have insisted on resigning. Leaving it up to President Bush meant that he was leaving it up to a man who was KNOWN to be loyal to his subordinates almost beyond reason (as in, “Heckuva job, Brownie!”).

I’ve bashed him a bit here, but I think he did a lot of good which I’m sure he covers in his book. I also concur with his assessment of both Powell and Rice in the State Dept. He was certainly a great American in many ways, but that is not to say he was without significant flaws. Would I vote for him for President if he were running? It depends on who he was running against. Right now, I don’t see any Republican who is as high profile who could do better…so I’d have to give it a probable yes. There are some who could do better but who are not well known across the country.

Sean on February 11, 2011 at 12:50 pm

Gee whiz you 20/20 hindsight guys are really boring. What do you want that we don’t do anything unless we’re (where!) perfect? This is the approach that Liberals take so that they can criticize everybody (except themselves, because they have good intentions.)

Good Looking on March 7, 2011 at 5:39 pm

Diane Sawyer is such a tool…Rumsfield deserves a medal for willingly sitting down with that drama queen

Gene Jarman on August 28, 2011 at 8:15 pm