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Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning.

Donald Rumsfeld

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Donald Rumsfeld
Age: 88 †
Born: 1932
Born: July 9
Died: 2021
Died: June 29
Author
Businessperson
Diplomat
Former U.S. Secretary Of Defense
Military Officer
Politician
Chicago
Illinois
Donald Henry Rumsfeld
Issues
Agreement
Stills
Instance
Still
Administration
Ever
Issue
Every
Agree
Powell
Except
Colin
Single
Instances
Learning
Secretary

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We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ..... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that.
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Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.
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The reality is that [Barack] Obama has some 15 countries in the current Libya coalition. President Bush put together close to 50 countries for the Afghan coalition, some 40 countries for the Iraqi coalition, more than 90 countries for the Proliferation Security Initiative and over 90 countries in the Global War on Terror.
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A terrorist can attack any time, any place using any technique and you can't defend everywhere against every technique at every moment.
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If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
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Success tends to go not to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk-averse. Rather it goes to the person who recognizes that life is pretty much a percentage business. It isn't making mistakes that's critical it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
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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.
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Control your own time. Don't let it be done for you. If you are working off the in-box that is fed you, you are probably working on the priority of others.
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Any country on the face of the Earth with an active intelligence program knows that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.
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The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize. It's to change the behavior of the people that are being terrorized.
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The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices.
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Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
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What is needed [to combat terrorism], in my view, is resolve, not retreat courage, not concession. Rather than thinking in terms of an exit strategy, focus on a strategy for success.
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If you look ahead 10 years, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the people of Russia had become fans of missile defence.
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One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
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Is it likely that an aircraft carrier or a cruise missile is going to find a person?
Donald Rumsfeld
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Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
Donald Rumsfeld
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
Donald Rumsfeld
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You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.
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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.
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