My dear friend Lisa DePaulo did the first interview of Donald Rumsfeld since his resignation for GQ (or as we used to call it, Gentlemen’s Quarterly). There’s no two ways about it, Rummy is a piece of work.
Imagine a throwback to some earlier day in America, when gentlemen lived by some code of chivalry, or is it noblesse oblige. One can’t fault his sense of duty or intelligence, though his anal compulsiveness could probably be helped with pharmaceuticals. But this man was like the last dinosaur, pleased with himself almost to the point of being smug, and having no concern whatsoever that us lesser mortals might not understand or appreciate his vision.
And he adheres to a philosophy that is at once endearing because it’s so quaint as to be almost archaic. At the same time, he openly acknowledges that others by definition will challenge his decisions and disagree with him. While at first it appears that he says this to recognize that reasonable people may differ, you realize immediately that his purpose is to justify ignoring every criticism and making him untouchable. He knows what he knows, and you are just a known unknown.
But home life at the Rummy’s is a hoot. They bought a beloved mule off eBay. EBAY? What’s his feedback? Can you imagine having a paypal dispute with Rummy? When he offers Lisa lunch, the choice is chicken salad or tuna salad. No foie gras at the Rummy’s. These are down to earth people.
I don’t want to steal all the really good stuff from the story, but it’s a terrific story and, for anyone who wants to understand why Americans die in Iraq for a lost cause, it helps to understand who ran the show.
Imagine a throwback to some earlier day in America, when gentlemen lived by some code of chivalry, or is it noblesse oblige. One can’t fault his sense of duty or intelligence, though his anal compulsiveness could probably be helped with pharmaceuticals. But this man was like the last dinosaur, pleased with himself almost to the point of being smug, and having no concern whatsoever that us lesser mortals might not understand or appreciate his vision.
And he adheres to a philosophy that is at once endearing because it’s so quaint as to be almost archaic. At the same time, he openly acknowledges that others by definition will challenge his decisions and disagree with him. While at first it appears that he says this to recognize that reasonable people may differ, you realize immediately that his purpose is to justify ignoring every criticism and making him untouchable. He knows what he knows, and you are just a known unknown.
But home life at the Rummy’s is a hoot. They bought a beloved mule off eBay. EBAY? What’s his feedback? Can you imagine having a paypal dispute with Rummy? When he offers Lisa lunch, the choice is chicken salad or tuna salad. No foie gras at the Rummy’s. These are down to earth people.
I don’t want to steal all the really good stuff from the story, but it’s a terrific story and, for anyone who wants to understand why Americans die in Iraq for a lost cause, it helps to understand who ran the show.
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The Certainty of Simplicity
While one expects an executive to speak with a large degree of certainty in his or her position, to instill confidence and clarity of purpose, one similarly expects that the executive reached his
or her decision after recognizing and contemplating the many variables, the complexities, the unknowns, that comprise the important decisions he or she faces.
Having carefully read the interviews of Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Robert Draper’s book about George W. Bush, Dead Certain, there is one thread that permeates their
decision-making.
The Certainty of Simplicity
While one expects an executive to speak with a large degree of certainty in his or her position, to instill confidence and clarity of purpose, one similarly expects that the executive reached his
or her decision after recognizing and contemplating the many variables, the complexities, the unknowns, that comprise the important decisions he or she faces.
Having carefully read the interviews of Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Robert Draper’s book about George W. Bush, Dead Certain, there is one thread that permeates their
decision-making.
The Certainty of Simplicity (Hannity Update)
While one expects an executive to speak with a large degree of certainty in his or her position, to instill confidence and clarity of purpose, one similarly expects that the executive reached his
or her decision after recognizing and contemplating the many variables, the complexities, the unknowns, that comprise the important decisions he or she faces.
Having carefully read the interviews of Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Robert Draper’s book about George W. Bush, Dead Certain, there is one thread that permeates their
decision-making.
The Certainty of Simplicity (Hannity/SNL Update)
While one expects an executive to speak with a large degree of certainty in his or her position, to instill confidence and clarity of purpose, one similarly expects that the executive reached his
or her decision after recognizing and contemplating the many variables, the complexities, the unknowns, that comprise the important decisions he or she faces.
Having carefully read the interviews of Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Robert Draper’s book about George W. Bush, Dead Certain, there is one thread that permeates their
decision-making.