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When I served as US Ambassador to NATO in the 1970s, the center of gravity in Europe was France and Germany.

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
Nato
Served
Gravity
Germany
Center
France
Europe
Ambassador
Ambassadors

More quotes by Donald Rumsfeld

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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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It is very difficult to spend federal (the taxpayers') dollars so that the intended result is achieved.
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Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.
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With the press there is no off the record.
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Pieces of intelligence, scraps of intelligence...you run down leads and you run down leads, and you hope that sometimes it works.
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Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
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Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
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I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons.
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There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact.
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You can have a broad popular democracy movement and have it end being taken over by the most vicious people and the result is you don't end up with free political systems or free economic systems, you end up with a handful of radicals controlling the country.
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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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You might be a cunning linguist, but I am a master debater.
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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And there is, I am certain, among the Iraqi people a respect for the care and the precision that went into the bombing campaign.
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Is it likely that an aircraft carrier or a cruise missile is going to find a person?
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General Boykin has requested that an inspector general review this matter. And I have indicated that if that's his request, I think it's appropriate.
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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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When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.
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Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.
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Remember where you came from.
Donald Rumsfeld