Rumsfeld's 'Slice of History'

[Valin]

WSJ:

In an interview, the former secretary of defense explains how Washington feuds harmed Iraq policy, and why the surge was less vital than you think.
KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
2/8/11

'I'd read other folks' books about things I'd been involved in . . . and I'd think, 'My goodness, that's not my perspective,'" chuckles former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in an interview last Friday. "I remember talking to [former Secretary of State] George Shultz and he said, 'Don, that's the way it is. Everyone has their slice of history and you need to write yours one day so that it is part of the records.'"

History, meet Mr. Rumsfeld's view. With today's release of "Known and Unknown"—the 78-year-old's memoir of his tenure as defense secretary under George W. Bush and Gerald Ford, his years in the Nixon administration and his three terms as an Illinois congressman—"Rummy" is offering his slice of history. As befits a man who has spent decades provoking Washington debate, his chronicle is direct and likely to inspire some shouting.

(Snip)

Mr. Rumsfeld's critics are bitter that his memoir didn't go the obvious commercial route, serving up a grand apology for his role in the wars. Yet readers might be appreciative to find themselves in possession of a serious memoir, more in keeping with the older Washington tradition of Dean Acheson or Henry Kissinger. As might the historians.

______________________________________________________________

"his chronicle is direct and likely to inspire some shouting."
Saying this is likely to inspire some shouting is like saying the Atlantic ocean is a bit damp.

[Valin]

[Valin]

More from the WSJ

 

Inside the White House: The Rumsfeld View

Following are excerpts from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's new book, "Known and Unknown," published by Penguin Group.

 

In the first extract, selected by The Wall Street Journal's Washington Bureau Chief Gerald F. Seib, Mr. Rumsfeld writes that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice attempted to use her post to "bridge" differences among foreign-policy advisers to President George W. Bush, part of an overall operating style he found unsatisfying:

(Snip)

 

War and Remembrance

ROBERT H. SCALES

 

Personal accounts fill in the blanks of contemporary history, blanks left by sterile timelines and the speculations of carping outsiders. Donald Rumsfeld's "Known and Unknown" is thus one of the most important contributions to a growing list of remembrances of our most recent wars.

 

The book is crisply written, blending narrative detail with personal judgment and reflection. Mr. Rumsfeld begins by giving us a fine, if compressed, account of his life before becoming George W. Bush's defense secretary in 2001. We are taken through Mr. Rumsfeld's time as a congressman in the 1960s and his years in the Ford administration, when he served as both chief of staff and defense secretary. But the bulk of "Known and Unknown" inevitably refers to the events that followed 9/11—that is, to the Bush administration's wars in Afghanistan and, especially, Iraq.

 

(Snip)

 

Many of us outside the Pentagon's inner circle would expect Mr. Rumsfeld to be more openly critical of his colleagues in the administration than he is in these memoirs. He treats almost everyone with respect and softens his barbs. Condoleezza Rice is well meaning but too much of an academic and conciliator to be an effective leader of the National Security Council. Colin Powell is a giant of the American political scene who became, perhaps, too focused on maintaining morale in the State Department.

 

(Snip)

 

The Rumsfeld Papers

The Rumsfeld Papers is a work in progress. The first priority was to get the documents specifically cited in the Known and Unknown endnotes in proper order so they can be easily reviewed and searched, and that work is completed.

 

Video here

[Rokke]

Can't wait to buy it. I would happily vote for him for President. Please.

[Valin]

Can't wait to buy it. I would happily vote for him for President. Please.

 

 

Now hold now! Before you buy it you owe it to yourself to get a different view.

The Progressive: Rumsfeld Memoir Absolutely Worthless

Amitabh Pal

February 9, 2011

 

The Bush folks are incorrigible.

 

Instead of retreating into a monastery somewhere, Donald Rumsfeld has the gall to release his memoir, a shamelessly self-serving heap of tripe.

 

Rumsfeld had the dubious distinction of disastrously helming an illegal war. But this doesn’t seem to have deterred him from stepping back into the spotlight. He uses the opportunity to engage in score-settling, pinning blame on others for the biggest foreign policy debacle in decades.

(Snip)

 

Ok so it's a view that has a dubious grasp of reality but it is a view none the less.

[Rokke]

I promised myself a while back that I would completely disregard anything written by someone with an name I can't even read, nevermind pronounce. Maybe I'm just not very progressive...but if we are currently "progressing", I'll happily remain a stodgy old grouch.

[Rheo]

I promised myself a while back that I would completely disregard anything written by someone with an name I can't even read, nevermind pronounce. Maybe I'm just not very progressive...but if we are currently "progressing", I'll happily remain a stodgy old grouch.

That works for me, too. As that is how I will always happily think of you.