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Review
"I would heartily recommend it. I don''t think anybody could go buy a book written by anybody who has been more intimately involved, closer to power, for as many years, has been through as much, has known all of the power players as you have. It is amazing."
-Rush Limbaugh (interview transcript)/2/8/2001
"Readers might be appreciative to find themselves in possession of a serious memoir, more in keeping with the older Washington tradition of Dean Acheson or Henry Kissinger. As might the historians."
-Kimberly Strassel/"Wall Street Journal"/2/8/2011
"The battle is joined. After a long silence, Donald Rumsfeld opened both barrels Tuesday, releasing his memoir, "Known and Unknown" . Early leaks of the book''s defiant take on his life, times, and conduct of the Iraq War drew howls from some of the targets of his score-settling...But Rumsfeld battles on, taking his unapologetic account to the public."
-John Barry/"Newsweek-The Daily Beast"/2/8/2011
"The book places the reader in Rumsfeld''s chair and is a serious stab at telling the history of a consequential period in America through the eyes of one of its most consequential players. It will be an important addition to the history of our time."
-Peter Baker ("New York Times" White House correspondent)/Foreign Policy/2/9/2011
Rumsfeld "describes the highs and lows of a long and dramatic career and discloses some behind the scenes details that may shock you."
-Sean Hannity (interview transcript)/2/9/2011
""Known and Unknown" is a meaty, well-written book that will be a primary source for historians...this power memoir deserves to be read with the care that went into writing it."
-Christopher Buckley/"Businessweek"/2/10/2011
"''Dismissive'' is a word often used to describe Rumsfeld, but ''dismissive'' perfectly describes his critics, who are unwilling or unable to re-examine their own assumptions in the light of new or overlooked information and fresha
-Rush Limbaugh (interview transcript)/2/8/2001
"Readers might be appreciative to find themselves in possession of a serious memoir, more in keeping with the older Washington tradition of Dean Acheson or Henry Kissinger. As might the historians."
-Kimberly Strassel/"Wall Street Journal"/2/8/2011
"The battle is joined. After a long silence, Donald Rumsfeld opened both barrels Tuesday, releasing his memoir, "Known and Unknown" . Early leaks of the book''s defiant take on his life, times, and conduct of the Iraq War drew howls from some of the targets of his score-settling...But Rumsfeld battles on, taking his unapologetic account to the public."
-John Barry/"Newsweek-The Daily Beast"/2/8/2011
"The book places the reader in Rumsfeld''s chair and is a serious stab at telling the history of a consequential period in America through the eyes of one of its most consequential players. It will be an important addition to the history of our time."
-Peter Baker ("New York Times" White House correspondent)/Foreign Policy/2/9/2011
Rumsfeld "describes the highs and lows of a long and dramatic career and discloses some behind the scenes details that may shock you."
-Sean Hannity (interview transcript)/2/9/2011
""Known and Unknown" is a meaty, well-written book that will be a primary source for historians...this power memoir deserves to be read with the care that went into writing it."
-Christopher Buckley/"Businessweek"/2/10/2011
"''Dismissive'' is a word often used to describe Rumsfeld, but ''dismissive'' perfectly describes his critics, who are unwilling or unable to re-examine their own assumptions in the light of new or overlooked information and fresha
Product Description
With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld's memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld's unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history: his experiences growing up during the Depression and World War II, his time as a Naval aviator; his service in Congress starting at age 30; his cabinet level positions in the Nixon and Ford White Houses; his assignments in the Reagan administration; and his years as a successful business executive in the private sector.
Rumsfeld addresses the challenges and controversies of his illustrious career, from the unseating of the entrenched House Republican leader in 1965, to helping the Ford administration steer the country away from Watergate and Vietnam, to bruising battles over transforming the military for the 21st century, to the war in Iraq, to confronting abuse at Abu Ghraib and allegations of torture at Guantanamo Bay.
Along the way, he offers his plainspoken, first-hand views and often humorous and surprising anecdotes about some of the world's best known figures, from Margaret Thatcher to Saddam Hussein, from Henry Kissinger to Colin Powell, from Elvis Presley to Dick Cheney, and each American president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush.
Rumsfeld relies not only on his memory but also on previously unreleased and recently declassified documents. Thousands of pages of documents not yet seen by the public will be made available on an accompanying website.
Known and Unknown delivers both a fascinating narrative for today's readers and an unprecedented resource for tomorrow's historians.
Proceeds from the sales of Known and Unknown will go to the veterans charities supported by the Rumsfeld Foundation.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
No time at present to write the review that this excellent book deserves but if there were Oscars for books this would win one...
Format:Hardcover
This is, in my view a very interesting and important book. As an extra benefit for a non-american the insight into American political processes is a worthwhile and interesting reading too. The book covers most of the life of Donald Rumsfeld. The author was close to many of the big traumatic events that formed the modern United States of America, and although he is careful about commenting on many living colleagues his writing shows a very reflected political mind and a conscientious citizen. The narrative of the transformation of the US armed forces to deal with a new type of enemy leaves an impressive and honest footprint. Infighting with peer departments and a biassed press is described in a convincing way. His many reflections on how to make progress by coordinating military, development and aid resources are overdue for application to similar problems around the world even today. A first is the online library with supporting documents on every note in the book. Many questions he brought up with his administration on how to cope with the changing world are worthwhile musing over even today.
Straight talking hopefully will always win.
Straight talking hopefully will always win.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an admirable book, an overdue correction to some of the more vituperative criticisms of the American invasion Iraq. Rumsfeld is an intelligent, and indeed a wise man, and brought a wealth of experience to the job when he became Bush's Secretary of Defense in 2001.
He defines America's goals in Iraq as "To help the Iraqis to put in place a government that did not threaten Iraq's neighbours, did not support terrorism, was respectful to the diverse elements of Iraqi society, and did not proliferate weapons of mass destruction".
So what went wrong? Essentially he was defeated on what he saw as a crucial element in reaching these goals: the setting up of an Iraqi Interim Authority. Iraqis were to take an increasingly important role in the governance of their country and allay suspicions in the Muslim world that the Americans sought to establish a colonial-type occupation for the purpose of taking Iraq's oil.
The President appeared to accept this, but the plan never got off the ground. Rumsfeld blames, first, himself. He wanted to go to Iraq and see to it personally that the plan got under way but the President refused to let him leave Washington. He is clear that he should have pressed harder.
Rumsfeld's two opponents were the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. (Neither of them impressed Rumsfeld). Both felt that it would take months before Iraqis were ready to take part in government and they persuaded the President of this. Whether Rumsfeld's plan would have worked, is of course one of his great unknowns, as is whether the war was worth it. To get his answer read the book.
John Stott
He defines America's goals in Iraq as "To help the Iraqis to put in place a government that did not threaten Iraq's neighbours, did not support terrorism, was respectful to the diverse elements of Iraqi society, and did not proliferate weapons of mass destruction".
So what went wrong? Essentially he was defeated on what he saw as a crucial element in reaching these goals: the setting up of an Iraqi Interim Authority. Iraqis were to take an increasingly important role in the governance of their country and allay suspicions in the Muslim world that the Americans sought to establish a colonial-type occupation for the purpose of taking Iraq's oil.
The President appeared to accept this, but the plan never got off the ground. Rumsfeld blames, first, himself. He wanted to go to Iraq and see to it personally that the plan got under way but the President refused to let him leave Washington. He is clear that he should have pressed harder.
Rumsfeld's two opponents were the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. (Neither of them impressed Rumsfeld). Both felt that it would take months before Iraqis were ready to take part in government and they persuaded the President of this. Whether Rumsfeld's plan would have worked, is of course one of his great unknowns, as is whether the war was worth it. To get his answer read the book.
John Stott
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An Infuriating Book
This biography is a book of two halves. The first half deals with Donald Rumsfeld's life up to the moment he was made Secretary of Defense by George W. Bush. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Bowen
rubish and lies
When you sort the rubbish from the lies, what's left? Self-justification and denial. This is a perfectly dreadful book as one would expect from this author.
Published 10 months ago by Clifford Thurlow
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