In spite of all the negativity surrounding Donald Rumsfeld, I have tremendous respect for the man. To me, he appears to be someone who is willing to be unpopular if it means doing what he believes to be right. Whenever I hear him speak, my gut reaction is positive.
That said, I have not read Cobra II – which I understand is pretty damning. Its on my list.
The following is a list of maxims for the business of government and the business of life – written by Rumsfeld. I think that it is a valuable list.
OpinionJournal – From WSJ.com
Many of these rules, reflections and quotations came from my role as chairman
of the “transition team” for President Ford and my service as White House chief
of staff. Others came from experiences as a U.S. naval aviator, a member of Congress,
ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, secretary of defense, presidential
Middle East envoy, business executive, chairman of the U.S. Ballistic Missile
Threat Commission, and other experiences.