Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeldis an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the second oldestperson to have served as Secretary of Defense. Additionally, Rumsfeld was a three-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Counsellor to the President, the United States Permanent...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth9 July 1932
CityEvanston, IL
CountryUnited States of America
Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
First rule of politics: you can't win unless you're on the ballot. Second rule: If you run, you may lose. And, if you tie, you do not win.
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
A terrorist can attack any time, any place using any technique and you can't defend everywhere against every technique at every moment.
Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often.
Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
The press always wants to know how many people will be killed or how much it will cost, but the answers to those questions are not knowable.
Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.
Sausage making and policy-making shouldn't be seen close-up.