Rumsfeld's War

January 1, 2004
If there were an official Donald H. Rumsfeld Admiration Society, Scarborough would be a leading candidate for its president. The Washington Times Pentagon reporter has written a paean to the Secretary of Defense that all but paints a big"S" on his chest. To Scarborough's credit, though, he makes his opinion immediately clear:"History will surely judge Rumsfeld one of America's most important defense leaders," he writes in the introduction. Nevertheless, Scarborough casts a revealing eye on"Rummy's" campaign to make the Pentagon heel to his foreign policies. The book is full of juicy tidbits--most of them in the first two chapters--gleaned from classified documents. For instance, a full six months before asking the United Nations to endorse the use of force in Iraq, Scarborough writes, President Bush signed a secret National Security Directive establishing the goals and objectives for going to war with the country. Scarborough also relates how a top secret military unit code-named"Grey Fox" contributed to the assassination of Al Qaeda planner Qaed Senyan al Harthi by turning on his satellite phone without his knowledge and exposing his position in a convoy speeding across the Yemini desert. Other anecdotes serve to emphasize Rumsfeld's"preference for military, special forces solutions to law enforcement scenarios." A later chapter is devoted to his skills as a manager."In assessing Rumsfeld, cliches work," Scarborough writes."His life is an 'all-American story.' He does not 'suffer fools gladly.' And, Donald H. Rumfeld is 'the right man at the right time.'" Readers already convinced of Rumsfeld's talents as a leader will enjoy this enthusiastic book, but those looking for a balanced assessment of the Defense Secretary's job performance may prefer James Mann's level-headed study The Rise of the Vulcans.