Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
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Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
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Extending on his earlier comments in a press conference at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium (6 June 2002)
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Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often.
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Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.
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Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.
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In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.
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It's a difficult thing today to be informed about our government even without all the secrecy.
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Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs.
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Let's hear it for the essential daily briefing, however hollow and empty it might be. We'll do it.
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Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.
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Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet.
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Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
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If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
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Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
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Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
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I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
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Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
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The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices.
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The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.
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Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
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What we are seeing is not the war in Iraq. What we're seeing is slices of the war in Iraq.111213
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When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ..... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that.8910