Posted on 09/20/2010 9:14:28 AM PDT by STARWISE
If there was any doubt that Donald Rumsfeld's book would be frank-and-candid narrative of what, in his telling, really happened, here are a few details about what promises to be a tell-all in the tradition of the Washington memoir.
First, see above: The dust jacket depicts a fleece-wearing Rummy at his get-away in Taos, a signal that he's detached from the Beltway and has nothing to lose. Then there is the title, "Known and Unknown," a play on his famous formulation about "known unknowns" and "unknown unknowns."
That's shorthand for suggesting he's going to reveal more than a few new nuggets. But that's all a bit of fun Kremlinology.
Here is some hard evidence:
When he publishes his book next year, the 78-year-old former Defense Secretary, White House Chief of Staff and Illinois congressman is also going to create a concurrent website with a slew of previously undisclosed documents from his decades of government service.
The release of information surrounding the Iraq war, in particular, is plainly an attempt to bolster his standing in history.
"The memoir follows the historical arc of Rumsfeld’s career, from his childhood experience of Pearl Harbor to the aftermath of 9/11," Keith Urbahn, his top aide, tells me.
"This remarkable story will be supported and amplified by the release of thousands of pages of never before seen memos and previously classified documents that put the reader in the moment.
The availability of the documents on a website will let skeptics make their own judgments based on the contemporary information Rumsfeld had at his disposal.”
Urbahn adds: "This book will tell readers things that they didn't know, and it may well unsettle a few people who think the history of certain events has already been written."
And here's a bit of a tease about what is widely seen as one of the most unfortunate parts of Rumsfeld's career:
“The book starts with a scene from Baghdad in December 1983 when Don Rumsfeld met Saddam Hussein. It describes what really happened in that meeting.”
The book will be published in January.
~~ Rummy!
Darth Rumsfeld!
He’s a national treasure. I loved his press conferences. He could handle the morons with humor that went right over their heads.
BTTT!
Of all of the books that will come out from the Bush Admin. — Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, and Tenet (if they let him write one) are the ones I look forward to the most.
SnakeDoc
NO ONE like Rummy .. a singularly unique man.
I recall quite a few critics of his here on FR. He had his enemies in the military.
Tenet’s book came out in April of 2007. Cheney’s came out too.
I thought I remembered Tenet’s coming out. I wonder how much was stricken or omitted because it was classified. Pretty sure Cheney’s isn’t due out until sometime in 2011, though.
SnakeDoc
I work with two people who worked with Rummy personally. Both of them are politically the same; pretty much National Security Republicans with moderate economic views. Both of them are ex-military, one Army and one Navy. One of them cannot stand him and one loves him. Go figure.
Cheney did a book with Stephen Hayes. The book I am most interested in is Mike Brown’s book. Mike Brown in it, will claim that he proposed airlifting the people out of the Superdome but Chernoff nixed it. Once Chernoff claimed it was a security risk, Brown proposed stationing an armed Marine on board.
These guys hate him!
Beta male: An unremarkable, careful man who avoids risk and confrontation. Beta males lack the physical presence, charisma and confidence of the Alpha male.
It is incredible that a seemingly intelligent person can be so pathologically wrapped in mindless hatred.
I thought the Hayes thing was just a biography. Cheney’s memoir is still forthcoming.
I tend to prefer reading about the inner-workings of foreign policy team and military strategy ... details that are either too mundane or too classified for news are the ones that tend to fascinate me. The big dogs of Bush’s foriegn policy team are the ones that I’ll be looking for.
The details of the Katrina Evac will be an interesting portion of Brown’s though.
SnakeDoc
I’ll be buying that book..
I am looking for the animated Rummy-at-the-podium shots where he is rolling a joint, making Origami, etc. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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