Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
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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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If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
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Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning.
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In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.
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Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
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Those who follow orders to commit such crimes will be found and they will be punished. War crimes will be prosecuted. And it will be no excuse to say, 'I was just following orders.' Any official involved in such crimes will forfeit hope of amnesty or leniency with respect to past action.
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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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Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
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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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It recalls to mind the statement by Winston Churchill, something to the effect that: I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof. 15
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If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
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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
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Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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Osama bin Laden is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive.
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Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
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Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
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Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.
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Remember where you came from.
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Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
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Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.
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Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.
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And there is, I am certain, among the Iraqi people a respect for the care and the precision that went into the bombing campaign.
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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.