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The Donald Rumsfeld paradox
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As a compliment, Richard Nixon referred to Donald Rumsfeld as "a ruthless little bastard." These days, "war criminal" is a phrase more commonly tossed around regarding the former Secretary of Defense.
Donald Rumsfeld is a learned man who made some highly questionable decisions. Donald Rumsfeld is a supremely confidant man who is also painfully self-conscious. He is a man who is very hard to pin down.
When Rumsfeld began his second tour of duty as Secretary of Defense, he had a clear mandate. This was nothing less than overhauling the entire philosophy and operation of our armed forces. Rumsfeld left no doubt that his top priority was maintaining American primacy. His vision was a fighting force which would progressively use less and less actual soldiers on the ground. Rumsfeld was enamored with our high-tech gizmos, their accuracy and destructive capabilities theoretically reducing the need for large numbers of combat troops. This weaponry, combined with superior intelligence would combine to create swift, small bands of soldiers capable of striking anytime, anywhere.
This ideal was the opposite of the Powell Doctrine, which emphasized diplomacy followed by the use of overwhelming force.
Unfortunately, Rumsfeld had to take his armed forces through this transformation during a war. He maintained that having to do both simultaneously actually helped, not hindered, the process. The military makeover was forced to happen quickly as the project was pushed into necessity. However, we were never fully ready to fight the robot wars of Rumsfeld's fancy. The terrain, the elusive enemy, and the lack of dependable intelligence all contributed to the "quagmire."
Rumsfeld earned his reputation as a hawk. He made the case for ousting Saddam back in 1998. He also explicity identified the Axis of Evil the same year. At the same time, during the war he was very sensitive to public opinion (not a common trait in the Bush administration) and was averse to Americans coming home in body bags. His appetite for war and queasiness over its' inherent results is a Rumsfeldian paradox.
Rumsfeld took responsibility for the disgusting behavior at Abu Ghraib. Nothing happened to him, but he did accept fault. He gave blanket permission for whatever actions were deemed necessary to gain critical information about possible attacks from the bad guys. Whether or not Rumsfeld was aware, or cared, of the depravity to which his soldiers would sink is a matter of debate.
Rumsfeld, like Cheney, was a popular congressman and successful businessman. Coming from the corporate world, Rumsfeld liked to work with the big concepts, then impatiently await the results from those who were charged with carrying out the technical details. That seems like he was a hands-off boss, but in the case of another Rumsfeldian Paradox, he earned much ire from colleauges and subordinates for his endless questions at meetings and brusque conversational style.
Rumsfeld's stubborness has become legendary. If actions were unfolding that were contrary to his plan, he would hem and haw and delay until the action was dead, or altered more to his liking. The dirty work was often done by his main henchman Stephen Cambone. It has been said numerous times that nobody could throw a wrench in the gears quite like Rumsfeld. This quirk led to tragic consequences. It took five days for federal troops to arrive in New Orleans after Hurrican Katrina. Say what you will about local and state government ineptitude in Louisiana. The bottom line was this was a catastrophic event, and people were desperate for help. Rumsfeld did not want to expend active-duty troops to the effort. He stated that the National Guard would be sufficient. Bush finally forced Rummy to give it up and get the troops there. This inexcusable episode combined with Abu Ghraib and mismanagement of the Iraq War led to Rumsfeld's resignation on election day in 2006.
Rumsfeld was consistently entertaining and enlightening when facing the press. His public musings became so popular that poetry was created out of his wisdom. People Magazine even voted him "Sexiest Cabinet Member" in 2002. From his "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," to his ruminations on "unknown unknowns", he was in his element at the podium.
It is easy to make caricatures of any public figure, especially those who were at the top during the presidency of George W. Bush. However, I have no use for bumper sticker pomposity. Possibly the most telling fact about Donald Rumsfeld is this: In 1949, Rumsfeld was a ranger at a boy scout camp in New Mexico. Later, he bought a ranch in Taos (a town that is 99% Democrat) roughly thirty miles from the old boy scout camp. Emotional attachment, and giving refuge to memories is very hard to reconcile with a state of constant change. This has been Rumsfeld's struggle, as it would be for anyone who is at least marginally reflective.
Coming up next: Condoleezza Rice, Part 1: National Security Advisor
If you enjoyed this article, check out:
http://www.examiner.com/x-11800-Bush-Legacy-Examiner~y2009m6d27-Colin-Powell-never-had-a-chance
http://www.examiner.com/x-11800-Bush-Legacy-Examiner-y2009m6d27-Dick-Cheney-was-brutal-and-effective
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