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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Dead At 88

Courtesy of ZeroHedge View original post here.

Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the main planner for the Iraq war until former President George W. Bush replaced him, has died at the age of 88, according to a statement from the family. 

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. At 88, he was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico,” the statement read.

“History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service, but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to the country,” the statement continued. 

Bush selected Rumsfeld as Pentagon chief in 2001 and was the architect of the Iraq war until Republicans lost the House majority in 2006. 

There were also several high-profile controversies during his time in office, including the detention of military detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. 

During the Obama years, Rumsfeld critiqued former President Obama’s military policies in Syria. He once suggested that Obama was “the so-called commander in chief.”

By 2016, Rumsfeld endorsed then-candidate Donald Trump for office. He said, “I’m a Republican, and there’s not any doubt in my mind how I’ll vote.” 

“[Trump] has caused people to respond in a way that most politicians have not been able to do,” Rumsfeld told NBC in an interview in 2016. “I see someone who has touched a nerve with our country.” 

Rumsfeld supported Trump even though the former president was a critic of the Iraq War. 

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