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'''Donald Henry Rumsfeld''' (b. July 9, 1932) was the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] first under President [[Gerald Ford]] from 1975 to 1977 and second under [[George W. Bush]] from 2001 to 2006.  

'''Donald Henry Rumsfeld''' (born July 9, 1932) was the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] first under President [[Gerald Ford]] from 1975 to 1977 and second under [[George W. Bush]] from 2001 to 2006.  

In his second term as Secretary, Rumsfeld showed an intense, unwavering commitment to military transformation--his vision of a leaner, more lethal Department of Defense. He performed brilliantly for the press and won over public opinion. However inside the Pentagon, he ran roughshod over the most experienced generals and admirals, who resented his resistance to professional advice. After [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9-11]], he directed the [[Afghanistan War|war in Afghanistan]], which seemingly vindicated this concept of transformation. While the prospect of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom|war in Iraq]] in 2003 promised a wider proving ground for it, the unexpected counterinsurgency campaign that followed undermined Rumsfeld's transformation and highlighted his failures in planning and his resistance to changing policies. In late 2006, Bush fired Rumsfeld, replacing him with [[Robert Gates]], who changed strategies and commanders, thus defeating the insurgency and leading the way to victory in Iraq.  

In his second term as Secretary, Rumsfeld showed an intense, unwavering commitment to military transformation—his vision of a leaner, more lethal Department of Defense. He performed brilliantly for the press and won over public opinion. However inside the Pentagon, he ran roughshod over the most experienced generals and admirals, who resented his resistance to professional advice. After [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9-11]], he directed the [[Afghanistan War|war in Afghanistan]], which seemingly vindicated this concept of transformation. While the prospect of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom|war in Iraq]] in 2003 promised a wider proving ground for it, the unexpected counterinsurgency campaign that followed undermined Rumsfeld's transformation and highlighted his failures in planning and his resistance to changing policies. In late 2006, Bush fired Rumsfeld, replacing him with [[Robert Gates]], who changed strategies and commanders, thus defeating the insurgency and leading the way to victory in Iraq.  

==Biography==

==Biography==

When George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, his transition manager, Vice-President-elect [[Dick Cheney]], who had been Rumsfeld's protégé in both the Nixon and Ford administrations, recruited Rumsfeld to serve a second term as defense secretary.

When George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, his transition manager, Vice-President-elect [[Dick Cheney]], who had been Rumsfeld's protégé in both the Nixon and Ford administrations, recruited Rumsfeld to serve a second term as defense secretary.

Quickly confirmed by the Senate, Rumsfeld took office in January of 2001. During his first seven months on the job, he sought, amid opposition, to restructure the military to meet the needs of the post-[[Cold War]] era. After [[al-Qaeda]] terrorists attacked the U.S. on [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11]], using hijacked aircraft to strike Defense Department headquarters at the Pentagon and to destroy the World Trade Center, Rumsfeld was an outspoken champion of the Bush Administration's [[War on Terror]]. He oversaw the [[Afghanistan War|defeat]] of the [[Taliban]] regime in [[Afghanistan]], which had aided al-Qaeda, and he presided over the largest military buildup since the early 1980s, disarming some media skeptics with his confidence and candor.

Quickly confirmed by the Senate, Rumsfeld took office in January 2001. During his first seven months on the job, he sought, amid opposition, to restructure the military to meet the needs of the post-[[Cold War]] era. After [[al-Qaeda]] terrorists attacked the U.S. on [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11]], using hijacked aircraft to strike Defense Department headquarters at the Pentagon and to destroy the World Trade Center, Rumsfeld was an outspoken champion of the Bush Administration's [[War on Terror]]. He oversaw the [[Afghanistan War|defeat]] of the [[Taliban]] regime in [[Afghanistan]], which had aided al-Qaeda, and he presided over the largest military buildup since the early 1980s, disarming some media skeptics with his confidence and candor.

====Iraq====

====Iraq====