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Stanford University faculty members are protesting former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's appointment as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. Renowned professor emeritus of psychology Philip Zimbardo, who has publicly blamed Rumsfeld and other Bush Administration officials for the notorious abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, is among a protest petition's "instigators," as he put it. "We think he has distinguished himself for all the wrong things than what the university should stand for and what America should stand for," Zimbardo said Monday, adding that about 118 people had signed the petition by Sunday, but the number should increase...

Rumsfeld Calls Afghanistan 'Big Success' By RICHARD PYLE NEW YORK (AP) — In an interview billed as his first since leaving the top Pentagon post, Donald Rumsfeld calls Afghanistan "a big success," but says U.S. efforts in Iraq are hampered by the failure of Iraq's government to establish a foundation for democracy. "In Afghanistan, 28 million people are free. They have their own president, they have their own parliament. Improved a lot on the streets," Rumsfeld says in the October issue of GQ magazine. While "that's been a big success," he said, the Baghdad regime "has not been able to...

Some faculty and students at Stanford University say they are outraged by the fellowship appointment of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld, who resigned last year amid intense criticism of his handling of the Iraq war, has been given a one-year fellowship at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who directed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and then resigned last November after months of mounting pressure, will join Stanford University's Hoover Institution as a visiting fellow. Rumsfeld, who also led the nation's response to Sept. 11, will participate in the institution's new task force of scholars and experts studying post-Sept. 11 ideology and terror, according to Hoover director John Raisian, in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have asked Don to join the distinguished group of scholars that will pursue new insights on the direction of thinking that the United...

WASHINGTON --Under that famously self-confident exterior is a president who weeps - a lot. President Bush told the author of a new book on his presidency that "I try not to wear my worries on my sleeve" or show anything less than steadfastness in public, especially in a time of war. "I fully understand that the enemy watches me, the Iraqis are watching me, the troops watch me, and the people watch me," he said. Yet, he said, "I do tears." "I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in...

Sir Mike Jackson says Rumsfeld one of most responsible for current situation in Iraq. LONDON - The head of the British Army during the invasion of Iraq has blasted the United States for its handling of the aftermath, a newspaper reported Saturday. General Sir Mike Jackson laid into the then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a stinging attack, said The Daily Telegraph, which is to serialise his forthcoming autobiography, "Soldier". Jackson branded US policy after the March 2003 invasion "intellectually bankrupt" and slammed Rumsfeld's claim that US forces "don't do nation-building" as "nonsensical." Jackson said Rumsfeld was "one of...

Rumsfeld resigned before election, letter shows Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:40AM EDT By Kristin Roberts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Rumsfeld, architect of the unpopular Iraq war, resigned as defense secretary before last year's November election but his decision was not announced until after the voting, according to his resignation letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. The letter was dated November 6, the day before voters, angered by Iraq, went to the polls and swept Republicans from power in Congress. According to a stamp on the letter, President George W. Bush saw it on election day. Bush, however, did not announce...

Summary: Did the Bush administration disregard military expertise before the Iraq war? Should military leaders have done more to protest in response? Michael Desch's "Bush and the Generals" (May/June 2007) contains significant errors of fact and interpretation. One of us, Richard Myers, has direct knowledge and personal experience with the subject; the other, Richard Kohn, has been studying and observing American civil-military relations for 45 years. Bush administration officials did not, as Desch charges, "overrule" the military "on the number of troops to be sent" to Iraq or "the timing of ... deployment." Both were the result of over a...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2007 – Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other former top Pentagon officials today said facts about Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman’s friendly-fire death were mishandled, but not covered up to make it seem he died from enemy fire. In his first visit to Capitol Hill since stepping down as defense secretary, Rumsfeld appeared with three Army generals before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to answers questions about the controversial case and to deny allegations that evidence was intentionally distorted. Seven investigations into Tillman’s case revealed the Defense Department and Army responses to...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended himself and took no personal responsibility Wednesday for the military's bungled response to Army Ranger Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld, in his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since President Bush replaced him with Robert Gates late last year, reiterated previous testimony to investigators that he didn't have early knowledge that Tillman was cut down by fellow Rangers, not by enemy militia, as was initially claimed. He told a House committee hearing that he'd always impressed upon Pentagon underlings the importance of telling the truth. "Early in my...

WASHINGTON — A fresh round of Pentagon finger-pointing didn't settle Democrats' questions about the bungled response to Army Cpl. Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death. Maybe grilling former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will. Rumsfeld was a late addition to the witness list for a House hearing Wednesday on who knew what and when about Tillman's death in Afghanistan in 2004, which initially was falsely blamed on enemy fire. The congressional inquiry comes a day after the Army laid most of the blame on Philip Kensinger, a retired three-star general who led Army special operations forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks....

WASHINGTON — Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended himself and took no personal responsibility Wednesday for the military's bungled response to Army Ranger Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld, in his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since President Bush replaced him with Robert Gates late last year, reiterated previous testimony to investigators that he didn't have early knowledge that Tillman was cut down by fellow Rangers, not by enemy militia, as was initially claimed. He told a House committee hearing that he'd always impressed upon Pentagon underlings the importance of telling the truth. "Early in my tenure...

Washington, D.C. - Michael Maloof was back in the game. He and another Pentagon aide, David Wurmser, drove the short distance from the Pentagon to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. It was early October, a good season in Washington, but Maloof’s nerves were on edge during the scenic ride along the tree-lined George Washington Parkway. snip Maloof was a legend within the Pentagon circle that tracked arms proliferation. His office was obscure, but it performed a crucial national security function. snip The Pentagon wanted years of intelligence reporting on al Qaeda, Iraq, Iran and other potential targets in the war...

Rumsfeld Is Setting Up a Foundation AP WASHINGTON (AP) - Now that he's out of government, former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is setting up a foundation to attract others to public service. ''His whole focus is getting this foundation organized,'' said Lawrence Di Rita, once Rumsfeld's spokesman at the Pentagon and still authorized to speak for him. ''He's deep into that.'' While Rumsfeld did stints as an investment banker and pharmaceutical executive, the 75-year-old Republican spent most of his life in public service, including two separate tours as defense secretary, four terms representing Illinois in the House of Representatives...

Donald Rumsfeld's pride went before his fall--and thousands of needless deaths DONALD RUMSFELD gives Robert McNamara, chief architect of Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam war policy, a good run for his money as worst U.S. defense secretary of modern times. Rumsfeld's competitiveness in this race is freshly illustrated in "Endgame," the newest episode of public television's unrivaled "Frontline" series. The Middle East birthed the world's great monotheistic religions--Judaism, Christianity, Islam. During the past 6 years Washington has produced lesser Gods of One, who believe that the world is as they say it is, or will be as soon as their divine breath...

What's next for Donald Rumsfeld? The former Defense Secretary, not surprisingly, has had talks with publishers about the possibility of writing a book. But a longtime adviser tells Time.com that Rumsfeld has other, even more ambitious, plans. Rumsfeld, who was Pentagon boss from 2001 to 2006 and oversaw the planning and execution of the Iraq war, is in the early stages of setting up an educational foundation that would provide fellowships to citizens who want to try their hand at public service.

PHILADELPHIA--Of the many problems in Iraq, one of the most frustrating has been the Bush administration's belief that democracy is the prerequisite to liberalism. It is not. Security, not democracy, is the sine qua non of a liberal society. Without it, elections are useless, or worse. While the administration labored to deliver Iraqi democracy, it seemed to believe that security would take care of itself once the purple thumbs were counted. The Baghdad Security Plan (commonly known as the "surge") is the administration's first serious attempt to grapple with security in Iraq. The results so far are not discouraging. The...

TAOS— This small mountain town is known for leaving its celebrities alone. That's why Julia Roberts can shop for yarn at La Lana Wools and Anthony Hopkins (aka Hannibal Lecter) can thumb through the pages at Brodsky Bookshop undisturbed. But Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense? That's a different story. While living in Taos, Rumsfeld has suffered a number of public indignities, from being burned in effigy to being refused a hot chocolate by a bartender. But last week's description of a verbal fracas aimed at Rumsfeld by writer Jeff Conant, posted on an Internet political newsletter at www.counterpunch.org, may...

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was admitted to Washington Hospital Center for a heart procedure, although was released from the hospital earlier today. Rumsfeld was discharged Thursday from Washington Hospital Center, according to hospital spokesman Leroy Tillman. Tillman said that because of federal patient confidentiality regulations, he could not say how long Rumsfeld had been a patient, how Rumsfeld was doing or what unit had treated him. A source tells The Crypt that the 74-year-old Rumsfeld was held overnight in a VIP section of the hospital, and that he underwent a heart procedure while there. Rumsfeld, the architect of the...

On August 8 the Wall Street Journal reported that aides to Secretary Rumsfeld are "calling for deep personnel cuts to the Army, Navy, and Air Force..." Under Rumsfeld's plan, the U.S. Army would have to eliminate almost three divisions. The Air Force would have to eliminate a quarter of its fighter squadrons. The Navy would liquidate two carrier battle groups... And don't forget the fact that the one-time chief of staff of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev recently acknowledged that the August 1991 coup was ordered by Gorbachev himself...

The Republican presidential candidate says he's standing by his remarks, in which he labeled Rumsfeld "one of the worst secretaries of defense in history." McCain also accuses Rumsfeld of mismanaging the Iraq war. Vice President Cheney takes exception to those comments, telling A-B-C News he thinks McCain is "wrong." Cheney suggested McCain might apologize. But later on the campaign trail today in Los Angeles, McCain said his comments stand.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House defended Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday from criticism from Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) that he was one of the worst U.S. defense secretaries ever for his handling of the Iraq war. McCain, one of President George W. Bush's key allies in the U.S. Congress on Iraq, is running for his party's nomination to be president in 2008. "I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history," the Arizona senator and former Vietnam War veteran said on the campaign trail in...

BLUFFTON, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history. "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement — that's the kindest word I can give you — of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona senator told an overflow crowd of more than 800 at a retirement community near Hilton Head Island, S.C. "The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously." McCain, the ranking Republican...

BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history. "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement - that's the kindest word I can give you - of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona senator told an overflow crowd of more than 800 at a retirement community near Hilton Head Island, S.C. "The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously." McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate...

BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history. "We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement _ that's the kindest word I can give you _ of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war," the Arizona senator told an overflow crowd of more than 800 at a retirement community near Hilton Head Island, S.C. "The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously." McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate...

Senator John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years. He said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (news - bio) will be remembered as one of the worst to ever hold the job. He said the United States is paying a heavy price for the mismanagement. He said Rumsfeld never put enough troops on the ground to succeed in Iraq. Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and former Texas Senator Phil Gramm were at his side. Both endorsed McCain over the weekend.

I have looked high and low, and have not been able to come up with the eulogy....have heard good things about it on Rush, Hannity, Bennett and Ingraham...

Lumps of coal also should go to our thick-headed president and ex-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to mention a few. Myra Eder may be reached at meder@starnewspapers.com or (708) 802-8818.

Coll's bio. Coll wrote an interesting book on Afghanistan (Ghost Wars, 2001)

In the last six years, the Department has made great strides in modernizing its forces to address the threats of the 21st century. I. WAR ON TERROR Overall: A multinational coalition has liberated 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq, with formation of representative governments and security forces. Liberated 31 million Afghans from Taliban control and destroyed Al-Qaeda sanctuary – conquering elements that successfully fought off the Soviet Union for over nine years – and stood up a Loya Jurga governing council eight months after operations began. Liberated 26.7 million Iraqis from a brutal dictatorship and turned over sovereignty of...

It was such a cheap play to the left-wing peanut gallery that it doesn't even pay to be disgusted. Discussing the Time magazine person of the year choice on The View this morning, yenta-in-residence Joy Behar blurted out:"You have to put like a Hitler type. Like you put Donald Rumsfeld there or something." When some in the audience began to jeer, Behar broke into a huge, mock-surprised smile, as if to say "what's wrong with that?" It was just one more transparent stunt, a plea for attention and ratings. You might say that by posting this I've helped Behar...

   DoD ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE 2001   Print Version of Message >   Photos: SECDEF Final Morning >   Photos: Farewell Parade > In the last six years, the Department has made great strides in modernizing its forces to address the threats of the 21st century.I.  WAR ON TERROR Overall: A multinational coalition has liberated 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq, with formation of representative governments and security forces.Liberated 31 million Afghans from Taliban control and destroyed Al-Qaeda sanctuary – conquering elements that successfully fought off the Soviet Union for over nine years – and stood up a Loya Jurga governing council eight months...

A few days ago I gave up a good part of a nights sleep, watching the rebroadcast of the CSPAN coverage of the tribute to Donald Rumsfeld. It wasn't really a choice. I could no sooner have resisted that than foreswearing chocolate chip cookies. And yet the comparison doesn't hold well because this tribute wasn't held to make us feel better. And, in a way, it wasn't held to strictly make Donald Rumsfeld feel better. And it certainly had no hope of moving the Washington Press Corps an inch closer to beginning to do their jobs. Why then... did we...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady are having a quiet weekend, as is their custom. In the meantime, there's a very important piece of news that our own media is paying minimal attention to: The United States and India finalized their civilian nuclear cooperation agreement earlier this year, and Congress has just passed the ratifying and authorizing legislation. President Bush is expected to sign the legislation next week. Here's a brief article from an Indian news website, Kaumudi Online: Bush likely to sign Indo-US nuke legislation next week WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush is expected...

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld bade farewell to the Pentagon on Friday with a combative valedictory speech in which he warned against hoping for “graceful exits” from Iraq and said it would be wrong to regard the lack of new attacks on American soil as a sign that the nation is safe from terrorism. “Today, it should be clear that not only is weakness provocative,” Mr. Rumsfeld said, standing at a lectern with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney at his side, “but the perception of weakness on our part can be provocative as well.” It was a clear...

Donald Rumsfeld urged the United States not to retreat from the agonies and ugliness of combat. (Reuters) ********************************** United States Vice President Dick Cheney says Donald Rumsfeld is the finest defence secretary in US history. Soldiers and politicians have gathered at the Pentagon to farewell Mr Rumsfeld in a colourful military ceremony. US President George W Bush has called Mr Rumsfeld a skilled public servant and leader. "This man knows how to lead and he did, and the country is better off for it," Mr Bush declared at Friday's ceremony. "In every decision Don Rumsfeld made over the past...

Welcome to Sanity Island. It's been a busy and memorable day. Today, President Bush led the Pentegon's Farewell to Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld. Full story here. President Bush, right, congratulates outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, second from left, during a farewell ceremony in his honor at the Pentagon, Friday, Dec. 15, 2006. Vice President Dick Cheney, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, second from right. applaud. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President Bush also Honored Medal of Freedom Recipients in the East Room. Fellow recipients of the 2006 Presidential Medal of Freedom applaud as President George...

<p>Moderator warning: Don't even think of coming on this thread to bash. If you have nothing constructive to say, stay off this thread. Thank you.</p>

President Bush met today with senior Defense Department officials at the Pentagon for a talk about Iraq. Attending the meeting were Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, his soon-to-be replacement Robert Gates, National Security Advisor Steven Hadley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace along with the Joint Chiefs. After the meeting, President Bush took questions from the press. Click HERE for a complete transcript. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

There's been some minor press over the past few days regarding the protesters that greeted Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld when he arrived at the Union League in Philadelphia on Friday night to receive the club's Gold Medal award. Some reports numbered them at "three dozen," and repeat some forty-year-olds' heart-rending stories of how as children they used to go to the League on New Year's Day with their fathers--they now feel their precious memories defiled by the club's decision to honor Mr. Rumsfeld. Some of them may not be actual members themselves, but no matter, they're still in pain....

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Dec. 12, 2006 - Saying he feels fortunate to have served as defense secretary during this momentous period in history, Donald H. Rumsfeld said he has been inspired by working with the nation's men and women in uniform. Rumsfeld looked back on almost seven years at the helm of the department during an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity in Baghdad. The secretary visited Iraq Dec. 9-10 to thank U.S. troops for their service and sacrifices in the region. The secretary leaves office Dec. 18. Robert M. Gates will become the...

I would like to say I am sorry for the recent remarks I have made concerning President Bush. I was immature and have not responded well to the recent election. I was especially upset when Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld resigned the day after the election. I still think it could have been handled better. However, when I watched his Townhall meeting last Friday with the Pentagon troops, I came to some conclusions. Rummy did not appear or sound bitter. I realized this man has been around the Washington scene for so long, he knows how the game is played. There...

MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 10, 2006 -- A soldier in Mosul told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld he was worried because the American people seemed to have lost the combined will they had immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The secretary, who visited Iraq to thank the troops before he steps down from office, allowed that this is true. “In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the American people came together and were united in their concern about our country,” he said. But in the years since, there have been no big land, sea or air battles that...

AP photo Donald Rumsfeld during visit to troops at Al-Assad air base in IraqTonight on FNC As outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld makes a surprise visit to Iraq to bid farewell to the U.S. troops, only one reporter has total access — FNC's Sean Hannity. Watch "Hannity & Colmes" at 9pm / Midnight ET for our exclusive coverage!

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld returned to Washington Sunday after his surprise trip to Iraq. Rumsfeld's press secretary, Eric Ruff, said the defense secretary did not meet with any Iraqi government officials - as has been his usual practice - before leaving the country around noon Sunday. "It was not a public trip whatsoever," Ruff said. The main purpose, he said, was to express thanks to the U.S. troops and their commanders. Rumsfeld met over dinner Saturday with several top commanders, including Gen. George Casey and Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the two most senior commanders in Iraq. He...

Outgoing US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a surprise trip to Iraq, just days after a bipartisan commission called the situation there "grave and deteriorating" and said the administration's policy wasn't working. "For the past six years, I have had the opportunity and, I would say the privilege, to serve with the greatest military on the face of the Earth," Rumsfeld, 74, said in a speech on Saturday to more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines at Al-Assad, an air base in Anbar province, the large area of western Iraq that is an insurgent stronghold. "I leave understanding that the...

Troops Haven’t Lost Faith in RumsfeldBy Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service BALAD, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2006 – As he prepares to enter his final week in office, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was greeted warmly here by the men and women in uniform he has led for the past six years. Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to servicemembers based in Iraq to thank them for their service. He met with troops on Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province and then with troops here. In both places, the troops treated him like a rock star. The 74-year-old secretary flew...

Rumsfeld Thanks Troops for Service, Calls for U.S. PatienceBy Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service AL ASAD, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to Iraq today to thank servicemembers for their dedication, sacrifices and patriotism. He spoke to more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines at this sprawling air base in Anbar province. Rumsfeld will leave his office Dec. 18, when Defense Secretary designee Robert Gates takes his place. “For the past six years, I have had the opportunity and, I would say the privilege, to serve with the greatest military on the...

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said Saturday. "He's there to express his appreciation to the troops and to thank both the troops and their families for the sacrifices they are making," said Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a Defense Department spokesman. Rumsfeld's trip follows an emotional farewell Friday at the Pentagon, where the defense secretary defended his record on Iraq and Afghanistan.