Quote

It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.

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
War
Iraq
Long
Conflict
Months
Week
Doubt
Days
Unknowable
Lasts
Weeks
Last
Six

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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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A few. . . critics are the only people I ever heard use the phrase 'imminent threat.' I didn't, the president didn't.
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There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.
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[on Osama bin Laden] He is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive.
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Napoleon was asked, Who do you consider to be the greatest generals? He responded saying, The victors.
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It's a difficult thing today to be informed about our government even without all the secrecy.
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If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.
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Remember where you came from.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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After the German abstention at the UN, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle commented that Germany doesn't always have to stand on the side of its traditional allies. Berlin can look for new partners all over the world.
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You might be a cunning linguist, but I am a master debater.
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Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help.
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Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
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Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
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No terror state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
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I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two questions, and then we can pick the one we want to answer.
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Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
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Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
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Most of the 50 or so invitations you receive each week come from people inviting the President's Chief of Staff, not you. If you doubt that, ask your predecessor how many he received last week.
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Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the goals set. Put your head down, do the best job possible, let the flak pass, and work towards those goals.
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