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Snips from Rumsfelds speech when Duncan Hunter was presented with the “Keeper of the Flame” award September 20, 2006.

“Well, it’s a special privilege for me to be able to join you in honoring our friend, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter, and to be joined by so many members of the House who worked with Duncan regularly.

I’ve come to know Chairman Hunter very well over the years, and I can tell you that those of us in the Department rely very heavily on his wisdom, his leadership, his experience and his “get it done” attitude. It is something when he comes into your office like a whirling dervish and starts discussing a subject first at the national level and then down at the microlevel, and then leaves you pieces of metal on your desk that you can hardly lift and has explained exactly where it goes, what it’s for, why it should be there and wants to know why it isn’t. And God bless him for it. (Applause.)

You know, these past years are the years when it’s been particularly important to have knowledgeable and experienced and capable leadership in the Armed Services Committee, in the Congress. Duncan has been determined to see that the Department of Defense and the men and women in uniform have the resources they need, to see that they’re well-equipped and well-supported. He’s never let the troops down, and as a result of his leadership and his hard work, our nation is a safer place today.

Duncan understands that ever since September 11th, it’s been essential that we put aside that September 10th attitude and recognize that we have to get up every morning recognizing that it’s September 12th and that we have to ask ourselves what it is that we can do to protect the American people and to see that we inject a sense of urgency into our government and our country. (Applause.)

So, Duncan, my congratulations. My thank-you for your service to this country, my thank-you to you for your service to the cause of freedom, my thank-you to you for your service to the Department of Defense and to those of us who serve there and serve the American people. You are a treasure. You are indeed a “Keeper of the Flame.” God bless you. (Applause.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1043

..Rummy gets it--DH is the man...