Best 187 quotes of Donald Rumsfeld on MyQuotes

Donald Rumsfeld

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    A few. . . critics are the only people I ever heard use the phrase 'imminent threat.' I didn't, the president didn't.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    After he saw what happened to Saddam Hussein, he (Gadhafi) did not want to be Saddam Hussein. He gave up his nuclear program.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    After the German abstention at the UN, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle commented that Germany doesn't always have to stand on the side of its traditional allies. Berlin can look for new partners all over the world.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    A large number of people to begin crawling through those tunnels and caves looking for the bad folks.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    America is not what's wrong with the world.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the goals set. Put your head down, do the best job possible, let the flak pass, and work towards those goals.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    And there is, I am certain, among the Iraqi people a respect for the care and the precision that went into the bombing campaign.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    An institution that...would permit Iraq, a terrorist state that refuses to disarm, to become soon the chair of the United Nations Commission on Disarmament, and which recently elected Libya - a terrorist state - to chair the United Nations Commission on Human Rights of all things, seems not to be even struggling to regain credibility. That these acts of irresponsibility could happen now, at this moment in history, is breathtaking.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Any country on the face of the Earth with an active intelligence program knows that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    A president has to provide leadership to gain support.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time. Since the Iraq conflict began, the Army has been pressing ahead to produce the armor necessary at a rate that they believe - it's a greatly expanded rate from what existed previously, but a rate that they believe is the rate that is all that can be accomplished at this moment.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    At 78 years old, I am not surprised at much anymore. Germany has taken divergent positions before, so has France, so has England, so has the US.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Being Vice President is difficult. Don't make it tougher.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Beware when any idea is promoted primarily because it is "bold, exciting, innovative, and new." There are many ideas that are "bold, exciting, innovative and new," but also foolish.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.'

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Certainty without power can be interesting, even amusing. Certainty with power can be dangerous.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Control your own time. Don't let it be done for you. If you are working off the in-box that is fed you, you are probably working on the priority of others.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't accept the post or stay unless you have an understanding with the President that you're free to tell him what you think "with the bark off" and you have the courage to do it.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't divide the world into 'them' and 'us.' Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't divide the world into "them" and "us.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Every country should be tired of going to war. War is a terrible thing. If I had been in Congress, as much as I would be inclined naturally to be supportive of a president, any president, I would have voted no, had the issue come to a vote.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Every president when he is elected has to live with the pluses and minuses his predecessor leaves, which includes benefits as well as burdens.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Find ways to decentralize. Move decision making authority down and out. Encourage a more entrepreneurial approach.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    First rule of politics: you can't win unless you're on the ballot. Second rule: If you run, you may lose. And, if you tie, you do not win.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process, sausage-making and policy-making shouldn't be seen close-up. Don't let that panic you. Things may be going better than they look from the inside.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    General Boykin has requested that an inspector general review this matter. And I have indicated that if that's his request, I think it's appropriate.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll risk losing your balance. Keep your mooring lines to the outside world - family, friends, neighbors, people out of government, and people who may not agree with you.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think and I assume it's what I said.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I cannot give any assurances. I'm not in that business. I haven't been, and I don't intend to get into it. People who try to make predictions about things or assurances often find they're wrong.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    I don't think we'll discover anything, myself. I think what will happen is we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find it. It is not like a treasure hunt where you just runaround looking everywhere hoping you find something. I just don't think that's going to happen. The inspectors didn't find anything, and I doubt that we will. What we will do is find the people who will tell us.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought.

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    Donald Rumsfeld

    If I look at the really important questions in [Middle East] region, I see Iran, where there is a strong desire for a freer society and where people are repressed by a small group of ayatollahs. I see Syria, where we can see a similar desire of the people to be free. These two countries fund Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations and are hurting our efforts in Afghanistan and have been extremely harmful in Iraq. Then I also see large, important countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.