Rumsfeld's Rules :: Reader comments at Daniel Pipes

Submitted by Dan Schwartz (United States), Sep 4, 2002 at 11:24

"If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it." (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2001/rumsfeldsrules.pdf

This seems to be the reply to your paragraph (cited below) about your contention that the former Middle East envoy "seemed troubled by the vagueness of this dangerously ambitious goal." When you look at the Secretary's actions in the context of enlarging the scope of an otherwise intractable problem, it makes complete sense.

ORIGINAL TEXT:

"Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, for one, seemed troubled by the vagueness of this dangerously ambitious goal. At one early point, he dismissed as unrealistic `the idea of eliminating [terrorism] from the face of the earth.' But he proceeded to propose a no less elusive aim. Americans are a freedom-loving people, Rumsfeld said, so the definition of victory was an environment in which they could "in fact fulfill and live those freedoms," and in which others would be prevented "from adversely affecting our way of life." This was admirable, especially the last part, though hardly an objective to hand to a general and say, `Accomplish this.'"

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Reader comments (7) on this item

	Title	Commenter	Date	Thread
	The Muslim Times [12 words]	Rehaan	Feb 19, 2013 08:54	203646
1	Treason [89 words]	Greg Zotta	Apr 1, 2011 05:37	183794
	islamists have clearly said that our enemy is . . . islam ! ! ! .. Mar. 2010. [314 words]	Phil Greend	Mar 1, 2010 14:59	169530
	rv [12 words]	-njm	Mar 10, 2007 14:17	85673
	the execution [491 words]	dar	Feb 5, 2007 00:51	76001
	Thank you very much for such a good work [15 words]	Quirrel Fu	Sep 11, 2006 09:31	55523
	Rumsfeld's Rules [171 words]	Dan Schwartz	Sep 4, 2002 11:24	2271