Donald Rumsfeld in his First Stint as Secretary of Defense | Compliments of the Library of Congress
Secretary Rumsfeld, in his pursuit for a second war in Iraq, briefed reporters on the evidence for Saddam Hussein’s WMD program and support for terrorist groups on February 12, 2002. In the briefing, he stated his infamous epistemology, “Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.” These three types of knowns and unknowns were a key facet of Rumsfeld’s thinking, though he later expanded it by adding a fourth: an unknown known, where he defined it as things that you think you know, but it turns out you did not. Whether Rumsfeld truly applied this lesson to his legacy is unknown, yet the costs America paid for Rumsfeld’s mistakes remains undeniable.
Donald Rumsfeld’s life in some ways should be compared to Robert McNamara: both were the most powerful secretaries of defense who were initially praised for their work, only to see their reputations shattered by their respective wars. Rumsfeld, like McNamara, developed a respectable reputation as a thinker and a brilliant organizer, though Rumsfeld pursued a Congressional path instead of a more bureaucratic one in contrast to his then-Republican counterpart. His most notable achievement as representative was elevating Gerald Ford to the position as House minority leader after the 1964 elections, setting the stage for a bright career years later. From there, he rose beyond a simple congressional representative and become counselor to the president and ambassador to NATO during the Nixon administration. During this time, he also met and eventually employed Dick Cheney, though he infamously threw Cheney out when he was first looking for a job as a graduate student. By the time he became ambassador, he was already a political rock star within the Republican party.
But it was only when Nixon resigned that Rummy’s career shone brightest.
Managing the President | Complements of CNN
A few weeks after Nixon infamously resigned and Gerald Ford took office, he became chief of staff to an administration that didn’t appear likely to last until 1976. He imposed an iron fist establishing order among the White House staff. Rumsfeld took along Cheney as his deputy as both sought to stabilize the new Ford administration in resolving inflation, détente, loss of trust in the government, and the upcoming 1976 election which appeared to be an incoming bloodbath for Ford. Against all odds, he and Cheney brought the White House from the brink allowing the Ford administration to run as effectively as possible, and even nearly winning re-election, in its two years of existence. After a year as chief of staff, he became the youngest secretary of defense where he derailed Kissinger’s SALT talks, preventing a limitation of nuclear arms in this period of détente. When he left for the private sector, similar to McNamara’s departure for Ford after World War II, he left with a solid reputation as a political fixer and a political principal with sharp elbows and prolific writing.
How Rumsfeld Deviated From McNamara
Both men are unquestionably brilliant and have advanced further than most Americans in a fraction of their lifetimes. Yet both suffered spectacular falls that came more quickly than their rise. McNamara oversaw a department that slowly increased America’s involvement in a quagmire which became an all-out war that failed to produce results breaking both America’s commitment to Bretton Woods and betrayed a public’s trust that hasn’t recovered to this day. While McNamara had a respectable tenure at the World Bank, his reputation could never evade the ghosts of Vietnam, and he eventually repented his role in abetting the war in Vietnam notably in Morris’ documentary the Fog of War (which I highly recommend watching).
Forty years later, Rumsfeld had his turn to fall when he rejoined the Pentagon under George W. Bush. After 9/11, he became obsessed with Iraq and in overthrowing Saddam Hussein for his supposed nuclear weapons program. From September 2001 until March 2003, he and vice-president Cheney waged a campaign to obtain support for invading Iraq with the objective of eliminating Hussein. He was so bent on declaring war that he made sure to sideline opponents of the war - most notably Secretary of State Colin Powell - as well as failing to plan for the reconstruction of Iraqi society after the invasion. Eventually, Rumsfeld got his war on March 2003 and the results have been catastrophic. With no plan to rebuild Iraqi society after the invasion and decades of Hussein’s tyranny, the country fell into anarchy as public support quickly turned to anger against their new occupiers and more Americans returned to their families in pine coffins. Iraq quickly became another quagmire that sapped American attention, funds and troops from other rising international problems while wrecking American stature abroad. By the time he was unceremoniously sacked in December 2006, his reputation was in tatters like McNamara’s though Rumsfeld never displayed any regret for his actions, even when Morris interviewed him for his documentary (which is also worth a watch). It is because of his arrogance and inability to listen to genuine criticism that can change his mind shows why writers like George Packer label him as the “worst secretary of defense.”
What we Should Know
Rumsfeld’s rise and fall should be a warning to aspiring policymakers and politicians who have a tendency to grow too big for their britches. Rumsfeld was a brilliant man who could run bureaucracies and outrun political rivals, yet his brilliance fed his hubris to the point where he couldn’t hear any other voice beside his own. Being placed in a position where one can issue orders to our men and women in uniform carries a level of humility and appreciation that Rumsfeld never seemed to develop, requiring us to know as many unknowns as possible before any final order is given. Rumsfeld’s fall carries a lesson to always question your assumptions, have the humility to self-reflect on your actions and to always shine a light on our unknowns. The answers we find will not likely confirm our biases or wishes, but we hold a duty to our fellow Americans to keep inquiring and planning before we fire the first shot. If we are incapable of following these lessons, the people who will pay for our known unknowns won’t be us but another family burying their loved ones in Arlington cemetery.
Pursuing the Unknown
Nicely written and a strong argument. Rumsfeld's is definitely an uneven legacy with the closing ledger in the negative. I served two tours in the Rumsfeld Pentagon, first in 2001-2003 while on the Joint Staff and again 2006-2008 on the SecDef staff. By the time I returned in 2006, the Rumsfeld shine had worn very thin. The day he finally departed you could sense a very palpable sense of relief throughout the building. I did have the forethought to print out a copy of his final Snowflake, which stated humorously that it was his final one and any outstanding Snowflakes were dismissed.