I have not thought about Rumsfeld in years, although he was a major political figure for almost a decade.
In The Atlantic, George Packer wrote a scathing summary of the ways in which Rumsfeld damaged America and the world. Packer emphasizes Rumsfeld's intellectual arrogance and refusal to doubt himself, which I too recall as particularly frustrating.
Here's an excerpt:
Rumsfeld was the worst secretary of defense in American history. Being newly dead shouldn’t spare him this distinction. He was worse than the closest contender, Robert McNamara, and that is not a competition to judge lightly. McNamara’s folly was that of a whole generation of Cold Warriors who believed that Indochina was a vital front in the struggle against communism. His growing realization that the Vietnam War was an unwinnable waste made him more insightful than some of his peers; his decision to keep this realization from the American public made him an unforgivable coward.
But Rumsfeld was the chief advocate of every disaster in the years after September 11. Wherever the United States government contemplated a wrong turn, Rumsfeld was there first with his hard smile—squinting, mocking the cautious, shoving his country deeper into a hole. His fatal judgment was equaled only by his absolute self-assurance. He lacked the courage to doubt himself. He lacked the wisdom to change his mind.
636. How is Lloyd Austin doing as the current Secretary of Defense? What are his biggest priorities? Is he worried about North Korea? What about Syria and ISIS? I am realizing, as I write this, the extent to which national security concerns have been largely absent from the news since the beginning of Covid.
637. Did George W. Bush and or Dick Cheney stay in touch with Rumsfeld? Will they attend his funeral?
