Donald H. Rumsfeld Is Appointed As Advisor And Secretary of Defence for the U*U Jihad!

I'm not into this detail stuff. I'm more concepty.

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.

When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.

Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost.

Walk around. If you are invisible, the mystique of the President's office may perpetuate inaccurate impressions about you or the President, to his detriment. After all, you may not be as bad as they're saying.

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning.

Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction.

See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented.

If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.

The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don't tell him the truth. Others won't do it.

In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.

It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.

Preserve the President's options. He may need them.

One of your tasks is to separate the "personal" from the "substantive." The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.

Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos.

It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.

I don't do quagmires.

If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.

If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.

Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.

With the press there is no "off the record."

Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.

Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past. I think the past was not predictable when it started.

As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.

Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.

Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to "carry it off."

Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.

Beware when any idea is promoted primarily because it is bold, exciting, innovative, and new." There are many ideas that are bold, exciting, innovative and new," but also foolish.

Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.

Control your time. If you're working off your in-box, you're working off the priorities of others. Be sure the staff is working on what you move to them from the President, or the President will be reacting, not leading.

Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it.

Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.

Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.

Keep your sense of humor. As General Joe Stillwell said, "The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind." U*U ;-)

Remember where you came from.