Rating: 
Summary: Rumsfeld : A Personal Portrait
Review: The sudden rise of Donald Rumsfeld to political stardom has been one of the most unexpected developments of the last few years. When he was appointed secretary of defense, no one foresaw that he would become the most prominent and influential member of President George W. Bush's cabinet. But as the main architect of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld moved into a central position as a policymaker. And through his televised briefings, he also moved into the spotlight, where he won the almost worshipful admiration of millions of Americans by the extraordinary directness, agility, and confident poise he showed in handling the press." "Drawing on her long acquaintance with Rumsfeld, a wealth of documents, and interviews with him and his family, friends, and colleagues, Midge Decter provides riveting accounts of the many milestones marking the journey Rumsfeld made from the suburbs of Chicago to the Pentagon. There is the insurgent young congressman; the head of the Office of Economic Opportunity; the ambassador to NATO; the White House chief of staff; the youngest ever secretary of defense; the successful corporate executive; and, finally, the spectacular corporate executive; and, finally, the spectacular second tour of duty as secretary of defense under Bush." "As this remarkable story unfolds, Decter brings her knowledge of American culture to bear on the question of why so many Americans have responded so fervently to Rumsfeld. In answering, he points to the values of the Midwest in which he was born and bred and the powerful appeal they still exert in spite of how old-fashioned they seem in certain circles." "Decter's fascinating account of the life and career of Donald Rumsfeld, lavishly illustrated with photographs from the private collection of the Rumsfeld family, is, then, essential reading for anyone who wishes to become better acquainted with a key figure in public life - a figure whose rise to stardom sheds new light on the current condition of the American people
Rating:
Summary: God Bless
Review: The ultimate portrait of militant American masculinity unleashed against the evil hordes that hate us. This book made me want to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance 500 times in a row without stopping!
Rating: 
Summary: A BOMB
Review: The votes are in and they are devastating for unhappy Ms Decter. (And by the way, why is it that right wing cranks are always so thin skinned and wounded by criticism when their entire public life is spent demonizing and castigating their enemies? Makes you wonder...)Rumsfeld is a complex figure and as prime mover of our war in Iraq, he deserves a serious and objective profile. But Ms Decter's ill timed paneqyric reads like a celebrity puff piece on Kobe Bryant published the very day the rape headlines break. Who is this woman kidding? Second of all, the book is simply awful. Classical musicians (or at least those who aspire to be taken seriously, since Decter has never published a major piece of work) should not attempt pop songs. It makes one suspect that the only reason someone of Decter's hauteur would deign to write a quickie celebrity bio like this is to make a fast buck. In which case, better luck next time...) The book received no major reviews anywhere, sold dismally and although the author's friends on the far right no doubt applaud her she has to know deep somewhere in her dark and cynical soul that she has made a spectacular splat.
The fact is, very few of these right wing books actually make it on their own merits. Like right wing newspapers and journals of opinion -- the Washington Times, American Spectator and The Weekly Standard -- they are all financed by conservative billionaires, like Sun Myung Moon and Ruppert Murdoch. (Conservatives like to crow about the free market, except when it comes to the marketing of their own ideas.) Books like Ms Decter's are typically bought in bulk by right wing think tanks and other organizations. The goal is that if the book can crack the best seller lists, the mainstream will have to take notice. News organizations will be impressed and will want to feature the book's author on their broadcast. So what happened to Ms Decter and her syrupy tribute to Don Rumsfeld? Well, a lot, apparently, mostly having to do with Iraq.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: This is a book had I had not to base a report on it, would have been 5 stars as it covered Rumsfeld proficiently. However, the author skims the surface on some issues and considering the relatively brief length of this book (220 pages) it seems that it could have been added to more. Also, what I found surprising is that there is no index in this book. First time I have ever seen this in a book of this type. Overall a good book but with some glitches ****
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