Rumsfeld’s Rules
At Best Defense, Thomas Ricks indicates that “the Rumsfeld Files” might be the new “wikileaks”, in terms of interesting data points:
Speaking of the Rumsfeld files, he has put up all sorts of stuff up there on his website. Just start typing in names and see what pops up. Put in “Chalabi” and see that he was still taking advice from Ahmed Chalabi about Iraq as late as November 2005: “Chalabi was in and he, along with everyone else who has been in during the last two months, says we ought to reduce our presence in the cities — that it is causing a problem. Is George [Casey] sensitive to that?”
Have to think that Secretary Rumsfeld selected more than one document bombshell in that mass of papers with care.
Speaking as someone trained in diplomatic history back in the day when FRUS was years behind on the usual 30 year de-classification standard, the speed with which confidential and secret information enters the public domain, by hook or crook, is amazing. As more and more docs are being overclassified by government bureaucrats, the faster the secrets are stolen, leaked or released.
Probably a correlation there.
J. Scott:
February 9th, 2011 at 12:53 am
Zen, You’re right about over-classification—I’m with Moynihan on this one—we classify too much. I’m no fan of Rumsfeld, but I don’t believe a lot of the crap thrown at him by his political enemies. I heard him speaking about Rice’s inability at NSC and State and he was spot-on. (Bush the younger inherited Rice from the elder—and she did do yeoman’s work in the reunification of Germany—there is a very good book she wrote with someone else.)—that said, she was a dreadful choice on Bush’s part for both posts. Rummy may not be all bad; he scared the hell out of a lot of flag officers (Bush did, too.) and that can’t be all bad. I plan to eventually read his book—for he has lived and seen so much. I know two people who "know" him and have worked with him—both have differing opinions (hot and cold), but I suspect he’s that sort of guy—you either like him a lot, or you despise him. On a side note; I wonder how long and how much more hyperbole can be directed at opponents of the political left before the left becomes a laughing stock—they are walking a razor’s edge. For all the leftist opponents of Bush, Rummy pointed out on Rush’s show today that most of Bush’s policies were held over by The Obama; if the policies were so odious, why keep them? I’m no fan of the Patriot Act, but I’ve noticed most of the hyper-partisan rhetoric "just went away" when their guy was in office…imagine that…good post.
zen:
February 9th, 2011 at 3:27 am
Hi Scott,
.
I agree with you.
.
Rumsfeld is a mixed bag but is not credited with the things he did right, nor was he an omnipotent neocon eager to transform Iraq into a democracy. Rumsfeld lost that policy battle and decided to cut his losses and go along with it. Oddly, Gates has been much tougher on flags than Rummy was, in terms of career consequences, though Rumsfeld’s caustic verbal upbraiding was not something most 3 and 4 stars had heard in decades from a superior.