Controversy and Change: The Legacy of Donald Rumsfeld
Isaiah D. Howansky
Few figures can claim to be as influential and controversial in American politics as Donald Rumsfeld during his two terms as the United States Secretary of Defense, (1975-77 and 2001-06). His second tenure at the Pentagon transformed him from a well-respected veteran of politics with a reputation as an able leader into a man reviled by many Democrats and a political liability for Republicans. He has acted, both then and now, as a political scapegoat upon whom the sins and mistakes of the Iraq War are laid, and it is not entirely unjustified. One of Rumsfeld’s main strengths was his determination and inability to give up on an objective, yet that would cause his undoing. He refused to give up his initial strategy to pass responsibility to the Iraqi provisional government, and was equally obstinate in seeking to transform the Pentagon’s bureaucracy in the midst of two major conflicts. This obstinance ensured that he performed less than admirably. Coupled with poor intelligence and propaganda manipulation, a disastrous war seems inevitable. However, Rumsfeld’s changes to the Department of Defense (DOD) are undeniable and the long-term effects are felt today. During his first tenure as Secretary, he de facto abolished the draft, transitioning the military into an all-volunteer force. His second stay in the Pentagon saw the bureaucracy streamlined, a focus of the armed forces shifting from Cold War-era tactics to the asymmetrical warfare inherent in fighting terrorist organizations, further integration of intelligence in the field, and an overhaul of DOD’s budgetary policy. He also brought with him a unique and often-times chafing method of directing and communicating with his staff. His legacy and performance taken as a whole depict a complex and intense individual, with desire to do good along with tendencies which proved to be the instruments of his unintentional political suicide.
Isaiah D. Howansky is a junior Political Science major, minoring in Pre-Law, Spanish, and Music. He is the president of the Lander University History Club and former treasurer of the Lander University Political Science Association. He is from Westminster, South Carolina, and graduated from West-Oak High School with honours.