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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.
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
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More quotes by Donald Rumsfeld
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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There are things that we know, and there are things that we don't know. Then there are the things that we don't even know that we don't know. Those are the things that are the hardest.
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Inspectors do not have the duty or the ability to uncover terrible weapons hidden in a vast country. The responsibility of inspectors is simply to confirm evidence of voluntary and total disarmament. Saddam Hussein has the responsibility to provide that evidence, as directed, and in full
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
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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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Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
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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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... something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.
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Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost.
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The United States isn't going to do anything that it's not capable of doing. And if we do something, we'll be capable of doing it.
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We don't seek empires.We're not imperialistic.
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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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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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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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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
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If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't I'll just respond cleverly.
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Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
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It is very difficult to spend federal (the taxpayers') dollars so that the intended result is achieved.
Donald Rumsfeld
