And just like that, he's gone. I admit, I kind of thought of him as an uncle. And now, I don't know what's worse-- getting kicked out of a land war in Asia, or being fired by W. Messed up part was, Rum wanted to jump ship for years, he just wanted to depart on a high note. High notes, I'm told, are pretty scarce over there. So now he' s doing his best Lee Majors impression. ...That's politics, I guess.
But why is Donald Rumsfeld here, on this blog, a site ostensibly dedicated to the many facets of the art of writing? Oh, but Rummy is a writer. And why not? The man has done it all-- navy pilot, ambassador, adviser to presidents, CEO-- but don't trust me when you can read his stellar DOD bio.
He is also the author of the ingeniously titled Rumsfeld's Rules, a twelve-page document that apparently can be found in the desks of many Washington go-getters, young and old alike. Rummy first wrote the booklet while serving as Chief of Staff for Gerald Ford, and has revised it several times over the last thirty-odd years. You can read the latest pith-filled version here.
Also, if you like, you can hear a brief story of Rummy's Rules, as well as NPR's Greatest Hits of the outgoing warlord, a sound-byte assemblage that does some justice to the cavalcade of whimsy that was our 21st Secretary of Defense. It's really quite nice.
[This post is #1 in a Series: Statesmanship & Penmanship: The Writings of World Leaders. My next several posts will all be concerned with world leaders who have written novels, poetry, or anything substantial and more cagey than a senate report on the dangers of aluminum wiring. So Chairman Mao, Jawaharlal Nehru, Napolean Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Subcomandante Marcos, and Moammar Qaddafi-- watch out! I shall address your art with the savage criticism and wry observation that the UN only wish they had. And, in honor of "deadlines" I shall finish with the big man himself: Saddam Hussein... who has written four romance novels.]
