By his own rules: the ambitions, successes, and ultimate failures of Donald Rumsfeld

Description

Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld was exceptionally prepared by successful careers in politics and business to assume the Pentagon's top job in 2001. Yet six years later, he left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, over-controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed--or as his supporters contend, a brilliant, hard-charging visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, a longtime Washington Post reporter who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex personality.--From publisher description. Machine generated contents note: Ch. 1 Bit of a Rascal -- Ch. 2 Developing His Own Tune -- Ch. 3 Tough Enough -- Ch. 4 Keep Your Eye on Rummy -- Ch. 5 Politician in the Corporate World -- Ch. 6 Friendly Hawkish Guy -- Ch. 7 Operating from the Outbox -- Ch. 8 Lots of Battlefronts -- Ch. 9 Defining Moment -- Ch. 10 Iterative Planning -- Ch. 11 Too Many Hands on the Wheel -- Ch. 12 Long, Hard Slog -- Ch. 13 Thought of Resigning -- Ch. 14 Framework for Iraq -- Ch. 15 Second Thoughts -- Ch. 16 Period of Continuous Change -- Ch. 17 Toward the Abyss -- Ch. 18 Not Well Enough or Fast Enough.