This biography is the professional autobiography of Donald Rumseld from his election to Congress in Congress in 1962 until his enforced retirement in 2006.

The book provided a sense of the tough minded realism for which Rumsfeld is known, however I felt the author focused more on providing a chronology then on explaining his views and motivations on various topics.

My criticisms are:

Rumsfeld’s relationship with Nixon – Rumsfeld was plucked from Congress in 1968 to work in the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon. He rose variously through the ranks to be Amassador to Nato in 1974 at the age of 43. Clearly Nixon had marked out Rumsfeld for bigger and better things yet Rumsfeld’s discussion of Nixon and Watergate was at best a passing treatment.

Rumsfeld’s relationship with Bush Senior – Rumsfeld mentions only in passing Bush senior’s dislike of him and suggests it arose out of political manouvering in the Ford Administration. There is very little discussion of this nor of whether Rumsfeld’s period in private service (1976 to 2000 with some limited interruptions) was by choice or enforced by Bush Senior.

Rumsfeld’s relationship with Powell, Rice and Armitage – In the book Rumsfeld repeatedly references media stories which have come out of the State Department yet doesnt explicity make a charge against one of the principles. He also obliquely criticises Bush Junior for tolerating leaking. The book would have read better if Rumsfeld had left the charge at that and once and not repeatedly referred to leaks.

At the same time Rumsfeld does offer some interesting glimpses. Rumsfeld reveals that 2 of his 3 children are recovering drug addicts. I found this a suprising revelation yet Rumsfeld again deals with only in passing reference.

Rumsfeld also talks about an interest in a rapproachment with Saddam Hussein in 2000. This was an interesting revelation yet the book would have benefitted more if this had been drawn out.

The book also brings out how formative the Ford Administration and serving in it as Secretary of Defence had been to Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney (in other roles) and gives much context to why the 2 would form such a strong relationship 24 years later.

Despite these criticsms the book has a valid discussion of the doctrine of pre-emption and of the use of interrogation which are a worthwhile contribution to the knowledge of the Bush Administration.

A good book but not a great one. I rated it 7/10.