Posted on 10/14/2003 6:08:44 AM PDT by BigWaveBetty
It must be Donald Rumsfeld's turn to be whipping boy this month with talk of his rollercoaster ride taking a downward turn and in-fighting is losing Iraq and could cost Rumsfeld his job. Bullbleep I say!
I for one think America should be eternally grateful that Donald Rumsfeld is our Secretary of Defense. He works incredibly hard for us at a time when most Americans his age are enjoying retirement.
Donald H. Rumsfeld was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2001. Before assuming his present post, the former Navy pilot had also served as the 13th Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, U.S. Congressman and chief executive officer of two Fortune 500 companies.
Secretary Rumsfeld is responsible for directing the actions of the Defense Department in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The war is being waged against a backdrop of major change within the Department of Defense. The department has developed a new defense strategy and replaced the old model for sizing forces with a newer approach more relevant to the 21st century. Secretary Rumsfeld proposed and the President approved a significant reorganization of the worldwide command structure, known as the Unified Command Plan, that resulted in the establishment of the U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Strategic Command, the latter charged with the responsibilities formerly held by the Strategic and Space Commands which were disestablished.
The Department also has refocused its space capabilities and fashioned a new concept of strategic deterrence that increases security while reducing strategic nuclear weapons. To help strengthen the deterrent, the missile defense research and testing program has been reorganized and revitalized, free of the restraints of the ABM treaty.
Mr. Rumsfeld attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC scholarships (A.B., 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. In 1957, he transferred to the Ready Reserve and continued his Naval service in flying and administrative assignments as a drilling reservist until 1975. He transferred to the Standby Reserve when he became Secretary of Defense in 1975 and to the Retired Reserve with the rank of Captain in 1989.
In 1957, he came to Washington, DC to serve as Administrative Assistant to a Congressman. After a stint with an investment banking firm, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois in 1962, at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968.
Mr. Rumsfeld resigned from Congress in 1969 during his fourth term to join the President's Cabinet. From 1969 to 1970, he served as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity and Assistant to the President. From 1971 to 1972, he was Counsellor to the President and Director of the Economic Stabilization Program. In 1973, he left Washington, DC, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium (1973-1974).
In August 1974, he was called back to Washington, DC, to serve as Chairman of the transition to the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. He then became Chief of Staff of the White House and a member of the President's Cabinet (1974-1975). He served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Defense, the youngest in the country's history (1975-1977).
From 1977 to 1985 he served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Co., a worldwide pharmaceutical company. The successful turnaround there earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). From 1985 to 1990 he was in private business.
Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Corporation from 1990 to 1993. General Instrument Corporation was a leader in broadband transmission, distribution, and access control technologies. Until being sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman of the Board of Gilead Sciences, Inc., a pharmaceutical company.
Before returning for his second tour as Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld chaired the bipartisan U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, in 1998, and the U.S. Commission to Assess National Security Space Management and Organization, in 2000.
During his business career, Mr. Rumsfeld continued his public service in a variety of Federal posts, including:
Member of the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control (1982 - 1986);
Special Presidential Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty (1982 - 1983);
Senior Advisor to the President's Panel on Strategic Systems (1983 - 1984);
Member of the U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1983 - 1984);
Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East (1983 - 1984);
Member of the National Commission on Public Service (1987 - 1990);
Member of the National Economic Commission (1988 - 1989);
Member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University (1988 - 1992);
Member of the Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1989 - 1991); and
Member of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission (1999 - 2000).
While in the private sector, Mr. Rumsfeld's civic activities included service as a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the boards of trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the National Park Foundation, and as Chairman of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Inc.
In 1977, Mr. Rumsfeld was awarded the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Former United States President Bill Clinton will visit South Korea from Nov. 13-15 at the invitation of SBS, a spokesman for the broadcasting service said yesterday. Clinton, who last visited here in 1998, is scheduled to give a televised speech on Nov. 14, timed to coincide with the station's 13th anniversary, he added.
``His speech is likely to evolve around the current North Korean crisis. I think he will stress the importance of a dialogue-based North Korea policy he pursued while in office," the spokesman also said.
A courtesy call to President Roh Moo-hyun could take place on Nov. 14, and a separate meeting with South Korean children is scheduled during his stay here.
SBS has also invited U.S. Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who will arrive here on Nov. 15 to give a televised speech on his personal and his party's views on the current North Korean nuclear crisis. source
Asia Times points out that Clinton's so-called dialogue-based policy was worthless, considering L'il Kim violated every agreement entered into with the Clintoon administration:
In a fit of fury Kim let it be known that he had not only had secretly continued with the weapons program after 1994 but had embarked on a second, hitherto secret program to obtain fissile material by the process of highly enriching uranium. By doing so, Kim showed that the Bush administration was justified in dumping the Clinton engagement policy because North Korea was now in breach of a whole series of commitments. Chief among these was a landmark pact negotiated with South Korea in 1992 under which both sides forswore nuclear weapons on the peninsula. full story
Okay. I will wear my 5 buckle overshoes and overalls. Gotta keep you guessing.
How blessed we are that Rumsfeld and all of Bush's administration are serving during this time in history. We truly need their expertise and their guidance!
Thank you Donald Rumsfeld for all that you do for the best Country in the world!
P.S. Did you ever watch that tape I sent you of the U.S.S. Constellation? I was the one who sent it to you. I know you don't enjoy movies...but I thought you'd get a kick out of this one!
We love you Rummy!.....oh yes....received your book as a special gift from a valued friend in the Defense Dept. That same friend, got me an autographed pic of Newt! A treasure!
--Love you guys -- Thank you SO much for your great service to this Country!!!
NordP
Can you imagine how scintillating such a talk show would have been? Sixty minutes a day of Hillary saying "um, you know, um, you know," and bashing Republicans (regardless of her guest or the subject matter). On the other hand, it might have been fun to see her utterly fail.
Barbra Streisand will perform the Charlie Chaplin (news) song "Smile" on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Oct. 14 to celebrate the release of her new "The Movie Album."
She as on yesterday. Man, she's whacky. She went on about flowers and color.................HUH?????
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