U.S.-Iraq ProCon.org HOME | CLOSE

Name: Donald H. Rumsfeld

Title: Former U.S. Secretary of Defense

Position: PRO to the question "Should the U.S. have attacked Iraq?"

Reasoning:

"Tim, we said from the outset that there are several terrorist networks that have global reach and that there were several countries that were harboring terrorists that have global reach. We weren't going into Iraq when we were hit in September 11. And the question is: Well, what do you do about that?

If you know there are terrorists and you know there's terrorist states - Iraq's been a terrorist state for decades - and you know there are countries harboring terrorists, we believe, correctly, I think, that the only way to deal with it is - you can't just hunker down and hope they won't hit you again. You simply have to take the battle to them."

"Meet the Press with Tim Russert"
November 2, 2003
Credibility
Ranking:		  Experts
PhD's, JD's (lawyers), Judges, Members of Congress, Ambassadors, Consulate Generals, heads of government, Cabinet-level positions, military generals/admirals, members of legislative bodies with significant involvement in, or related to, the U.S.- Iraq conflict.

Involvement:
  • 2001-2006 - 21st U.S. Secretary of Defense
  • 1998 - Chairman, U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission
  • 1975-1977 - 13th U.S. Secretary of Defense
  • 1974-1975 - Chief of Staff, the White House
  • 1973-1974 - U.S. Ambassador, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Education:
  • B.A., Princeton University, 1954

Affiliations/
Honors:
  • 1988-1992 - Member, Board of Visitors, National Defense University
  • 1982-1986 - Member, President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control
  • 1983-1984 - Senior Advisor, President's Panel on Strategic Systems
  • 1983-1984 - Member, U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations
  • 1983-1984 - Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, 1977

Contact Info:
Phone: None listed Fax: None listed
E-Mail: None listed
Web Site: None listed

Other: Selected Publications:
  • "Rumsfeld's Rules: Advice on Government, Business and Life," Opinion Journal, WSJ.com, 1/29/01
  • Strategic Imperatives in East Asia, Washington D.C.: Heritage Foundation, 1998
  • Congressional Intent (co-author with Thomas B. Curtis and Donald L. Westerfield), Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1992
HOME | CLOSE