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Do ya think he's sexy? At nearly 70, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is TV's newest stud
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 12/29/01 | Beth Gillin

Posted on 12/29/2001 6:30:47 AM PST by veronica

He's vigorous. He's direct. At nearly 70, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is TV's newest stud.

Forget The Guardian's Simon Baker, Smallville's Tom Welling, or 24's Kiefer Sutherland. The sexiest man on television is a grandpop with a throaty laugh and a confidence so overpowering it's made entire countries go weak in the knees.

No doubt about it, Donald Rumsfeld is a stud muffin.

Oh sure, he's a bespectacled government bureaucrat pushing 70. But the secretary of defense has a quality that many women adore.

He's as self-assured as a bull in a cow pasture.

Next to this ex-Navy flyboy and self-made millionaire, humorless careerists are but empty suits, doubt-ridden heroes are boring, and sensitive New Age males look like big whiny babies.

Rumsfeld, in contrast, looks like a good time. In a recent interview, Larry King asked, "Secretary Rumsfeld . . . do you like this image? You now have this new image called sex symbol."

Rumsfeld laughed heartily and replied, "Oh, come on." But he seemed delighted, and later allowed that he could be a sex symbol "for the AARP."

He's direct, plainspoken, full of that quality John F. Kennedy so admired: vigor.

He enjoys sparring with reporters at news conferences. Exuding bonhomie, he gets his points across while revealing very little of what everybody is there to find out. These performances are among the best on television, depicted by political cartoonist Mike Peters as "Must See TV."

Rumsfeld is decisive, a quality Saturday Night Live recognized in a recent skit: The President is in a meeting, taking a call from boring Al Gore, who drones on and on while Bush's advisers point impatiently to their watches and Bush, a prisoner of his breeding, seeks a polite end to the conversation.

Rumsfeld strides in. Grasping the situation immediately, he grabs the receiver and barks, "Get off the phone, Al. Now!" A startled Gore hangs up.

Talk about a man of action.

In the Navy, Rumsfeld was a champion wrestler. Now, he hunts elk.

He's been around Washington forever - this is his second go-round as defense secretary - but it took a war to make him a celeb.

After attending Princeton University on a scholarship, he married his childhood sweetheart, Joyce, in 1954, served in the Navy, and did six years in Congress and four in the Nixon administration.

He was ambassador to NATO when President Gerald R. Ford called him back and made him the youngest defense secretary in the country's history. He wasn't well-liked. Over the years, he has annoyed people by ignoring criticism and pushing to get things done. He used to be called imperious. Now he's seen as determined.

He's also telegenic, which became apparent when the spotlight found him in September. The camera loves him. He's the media star of the war on terror.

He has reappeared on the scene at a time when popular culture is again embracing big-shouldered, go-for-it guys, from stoic Russell Crowe in the Oscar-winning Gladiator to bully Teddy Roosevelt in the best-selling Theodore Rex, to buff Will Smith as The Greatest in Ali.

Classical Roman virtues such as courage and determination, so passe in the high-flying '90s, are again in vogue.

Steely confidence is admired, in burly firemen, guys who attack armed hijackers with their bare hands, 19-year-olds who parachute into battlefields in the middle of the night - and straight-shooting Rummy, the senior with swagger.

Manly men, every one. It's good to have them back.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: rumsfeld; rumsfeldpinglist
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To: habs4ever
The Who, of course! :-D

And speaking of manly older men...RD! :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

141 posted on 12/29/2001 6:00:35 PM PST by NYC GOP Chick
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To: NYC GOP Chick
Down girl!! LOL

Was your Dad a McCaniac before he saw the light??

142 posted on 12/29/2001 6:04:09 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: mewzilla
Exactly right.

PS to all - I did NOT make up the 'Do ya' think he's sexy' part. It was the title of the article. I leave that stuff to the journos.

143 posted on 12/29/2001 7:24:22 PM PST by veronica
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Comment #144 Removed by Moderator

To: OneidaM
A manly man indeed!
145 posted on 12/29/2001 8:06:20 PM PST by austinTparty
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To: coteblanche
Oh Cote, what a slur and cheapshot against Herr Duffer ;-)LOL
146 posted on 12/29/2001 8:10:31 PM PST by habs4ever
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To: Catspaw
>>>>>He can park his shoes under my bed anytime.

His wife might object!!!!

147 posted on 12/29/2001 8:13:53 PM PST by Kath
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To: Jhoffa_
There is a certain type of woman who automatically equates power with sex.

And a certain type of man who automatically equates big breasts with sex... and probably some who equate tiny feet with it, too... takes all kinds. To say that if Stormin' Norman wore overalls and worked at a Burger King, he wouldn't have been called sexy is like saying that if Britney Spears weighed 400 pounds, men wouldn't be drooling over her. Duh.

Just goes to show that women are interested in a man's mind, and men are interested in a woman's body. </tongue-firmly-in-cheek>

148 posted on 12/29/2001 8:14:04 PM PST by austinTparty
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To: reaganite
I think our country has grown weary of girly-men.

And this is why I think that Sen.John Edwards doesn't have a chance to be elected President(Thank God)!

149 posted on 12/29/2001 8:33:32 PM PST by Lady In Blue
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To: veronica
Rummy is very sexy because he's got so much zest for life.....and he's masterful handling the press...also there is that delightful twinkle in his eye!

Best of all he has a great sense of humor which is what makes him so sexy....we women love men who make us laugh!

150 posted on 12/29/2001 8:41:12 PM PST by JulieRNR21
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To: McGavin999
"I love it that MEN are back in vogue, I hope it stays that way. We're fortunate that we didn't eradicate it, only pushed it out of the spotlight.

You just nailed it, Mr. McG. We've just had eight years of effeminate males who instead of being asked about whether they wore boxers or briefs, should have been asked whether they wore lace on their panties, or plain. Their leader, BillieJeff may have had male plumbing, but didn't have a masculine bone in his pathetic flabby body.

151 posted on 12/29/2001 9:38:21 PM PST by holyscroller
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To: holyscroller
"Their leader, BillieJeff may have had male plumbing, but didn't have a masculine bone in his pathetic flabby body."

From all reports - his 'plumbing' is pathetic!!

Maybe that's why he keeps testing it to see if it works!

152 posted on 12/30/2001 10:46:08 AM PST by LADY J
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To: JulieRNR21
Sure is. What I like about Rumsfeld is he can actually blend tough talking with wit. Watching his news briefings, you'd certainly expect the light side sometime. He'd bash off some reporter and his dull question, and the humor comes in effect. In interviews, when the host asks him the "new sex symbol" question, he shies off from it. He doesn't show off. It's great - that's the things that make him cute.
153 posted on 12/30/2001 7:20:30 PM PST by Stephie87
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To: Stephie87
You can actually subscribe to the Department of Defense's news by e-mail: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
154 posted on 12/30/2001 7:25:21 PM PST by Stephie87
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To: veronica
Although I usually like older men, at 29, he's a bit too old for me, but I've seen photos of him when he was younger and he was a total hottie!
155 posted on 12/30/2001 7:28:26 PM PST by RepubMommy
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To: veronica
It's better than good to have manly men back, it's flat out GREAT! :^)
156 posted on 12/30/2001 7:28:47 PM PST by Republic
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To: veronica
Hi everyone! Great new year in advance! -um, are there any Rumsfeld groups/groupies/clubs here? I'm really new to posting. sorry.
157 posted on 12/31/2001 5:48:45 AM PST by Stephie87
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To: veronica; lawgirl
Oh, Rummy is most definitely sexy! (Though, not quite as sexy as his boss is!) And to all who have said it here, strong, funny, in-control men have always been sexy to real women!
158 posted on 12/31/2001 6:44:54 AM PST by ohioWfan
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To: LADY J; holyscroller
Maybe that's why he keeps testing it to see if it works!

LOL!!! I'll bet he hasn't tested it on Hillary in a looooong time!

I've always found x42 (and his partner in crime) about as sexy as slugs.

159 posted on 12/31/2001 6:49:08 AM PST by ohioWfan
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