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
We wanted to be here and meet with the senior leadership in this country because we value their advice, we value their counsel and we recognize that this is a campaign, a war, a battle against a problem that crosses the globe,
Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
It is worth reminding that being president is a tough job for anybody, and particularly so in the information age. There's such a glut of information. Anything a president says or does is picked up on the Internet or the 24/7 news media and criticized almost instantly. Leaders persuade through their words and as such their words need to be measured and well chosen. It is a tough job.
In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
Given their geography and situation, I thought that meeting with the leadership there would be a good thing,
We recognize and respect the leadership role that you have taken in this country politically and from an economic standpoint as well as a security standpoint,
increase the number of special operations forces available for missions worldwide, while expanding their capabilities in some key areas.
It's not going to take years, and it's not going to take days. It'll take some months. And then we will go back to the president with our recommendations as to what we believe are the priorities and what needs to be done,
It's not an effort against the Afghan people, ... Indeed, we are providing humanitarian assistance.
not the first major battle, and certainly won't be the last.
Syria's been on the terrorist list for years,
They have to do it for themselves, ... There isn't an Iraqi that comes into this country and visits with me that doesn't say that. They know that. They know that they're the ones that are going to have to grab that country, and it's time.