Rating: 
Summary: Good on facts and backround, too much praise to be credible.
Review: The author is a Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Times and therefore can be assumed to have good backround and contacts. I was quite interested in Rumsfeld because of his prominence and eloquence. The book gives a good account of decision making in regard to the Afghan and Iraq wars, and gives the motivation behind the ongoing transformation of the US armed forces which is Rumsfelds particular concern. I was quite interested in Rumsfelds backround - in particular his time in private business. He was CEO of JD Searle, the firm that made a fortune from Nutrasweet - somehow its difficult to associate Rumsfeld with sweetners!. Overall he is displayed as decisive, change-orientated, pugnacious, eloquent but fair. In between the lines you get the impression that he is a formidable political infighter.
I have, however, a basic credibility problem with the book - how can the author continue to work as a Pentagon journalist if he paints a negative picture of Rumsfeld?. I come away wondering if the books analysis is accurate, I'm sure the facts are, but what about the inferences. Tommy Franks, in retirement, regrets Rumsfelds micromanaging style - something not apparent in this book. Is Rumsfeld's transformation of the military - and his adherence to Special Operations, flexibility and agility - likely to bring about victory in the ongoing struggles for dominance in Iraq or Afghanistan? It may bring about an ability to concentrate firepower in any corner of the globe, but what happens thereafter? This is not discussed and I think is a central part of the debate. I also think that Rumsfelds is the most talented political operator and communicator in this Administration, but is this a good thing? Does he concentrate power in the Pentagon to the detriment of the diplomacy that is needed in order to win Allies for the War on Terror? Again you won't find a whisper about this topic in the book.
So overall a good grounding, some solid backround facts, however I am left wanting more critical analysis of this transformative and forceful Defense Secretary.
Rating: 
Summary: Why We Are Losing The War!
Review: A suck-up by the infamous right wing Washington Times, published two years too late. It might make some people feel good to read about the massaging of Rumsfeld's enormous ego, but he is the primary reason why the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is failing -- note how the Taliban are regrouping -- and the invasion of Iraq failed miserably. Rummy's ideas of "transformation" are a fantasy. If we are at "war", why is it that the numbers of troops keep getting reduced and the ones on the front lines keep getting their tours extended? This is a recipe for disaster. It is impossible to wage war against terrorists when we are "allied" with their benefactors in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. As long as the clueless and incompetent Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld cabal is in power, we are screwed. I work weekends in the Pentagon and have yet to meet anyone who doesn't despise Rummy and the other neo-conmen who've squandered billions of dollars and the lives of several hundred young Americans. Despicable!
Rating: 
Summary: Rummy's Command....CEO of the Pentagon
Review: A well-written account of Donald Rumsfeld, providing a glimpse of his Chicago heritage, education at Princeton, career in business and politics. The narrative demonstrates how friends and contacts are developed over many years but are really established early in life. It also shows the value of developing a network, a professional Rolodex, which shapes a career and career moves.
Scarborough effectively draws the timeline of Rumsfeld and how time, experiences, instinct, and personality made him an effective, results oriented manager of the Pentagon. Rumsfeld's in depth knowledge of events, his intense work ethic and demanding approach helped redefine the military as well as prepare the U.S. to more effectively know our enemy. Rumsfeld was given a depleted military infrastructure with an inadequate budget. Scarborough takes the reader through the process with which Rumsfeld reestablished civilian command and leadership to the Pentagon.
The author uses many secret and classified reports he had access to, drawing a frightening picture of enemy capabilities not just today but well into the future. Reprints of documents and reports are offered in the Appendix to substantiate what some might say are simply opinion or conjecture on the author's part. This book is not a totally simple read but it is very in-depth in its pursuit to provide a picture of the daunting task of rebuilding our military and at the same time being confronted with preparing and initiating war.
Rating: 
Summary: Ehh... comes up short
Review: Although the interworkings of the Pentagon are an intriguing subject these days, I found this book to be somewhat dissapointing. The analysis is somewhat skimpy with only broad associations drawing together all of the evidence. Provides a glimpse into Rumsfeld's leadership style, and how people inside the Pentagon have reacted to it, but not very thorough. Sometimes I got the impression that the book's purpose was simply to show off how much sexy classified stuff the author could find, and not all of it backed up the books thesis, which I THINK is that Rummy is the right leader at the right time. Recommend Plan of Attack instead because it is more thorough and broad.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the same Rummy that shaked hands with Saddam in '83?
Review: Any book that includes the phrase "America's Anti-Terrorist Commander" in the cover is pro-war, character embellishing propaganda from the start.Even Mr. Rumsfeld's mother wouldn't be so obvious to use phrases like "far-sighted, courageous decisions". Perhaps if Mr. Rumsfeld wanted to "end terrorism" he shouldn't have created the monster that later became Saddam?. As the Australian media once put it: "Donald Rumsfeld is rapidly emerging as the Dennis the Menace of American diplomacy - an accident-prone hyperactive with an alarming propensity to shoot from the lip and ask questions later." Just for the record: Donald Rumsfeld, then special envoy of President Ronald Reagan, shaked hands with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on December 20, 1983, as shown recently by declassified documents requested by the George Washington University's National Security Archive. The U.S. restored formal relations with Iraq in November 1984, but the U.S. had begun, several years earlier, to provide it with intelligence and military support (in secret and contrary to this country's official neutrality) in accordance with policy directives from President Ronald Reagan. These were prepared pursuant to his March 1982 National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM 4-82) asking for a review of U.S. policy toward the Middle East. One of these directives from Reagan, National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 99, signed on July 12, 1983, is available only in a highly redacted version. Check the following site for more information: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/ Donald Rumsfeld (who had served in various positions in the Nixon and Ford administrations, including as President Ford's defense secretary, and at this time headed the multinational pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Co.) was dispatched to the Middle East as a presidential envoy. His December 1983 tour of regional capitals included Baghdad, where he was to establish "direct contact between an envoy of President Reagan and President Saddam Hussein," while emphasizing "his close relationship" with the president. In short: my point is that calling Mr. Rumsfeld "America's Anti-Terrorist Commander" is adding hype from the start. Mr. Rumsfeld is the finest example of a "Neocon", those who believe that the United States should not be ashamed to use its unrivaled power - forcefully if necessary - to promote its values around the world. This book tries to portray him as someone relevant in world politics, which is laughable.
Rating:
Summary: Whitewash
Review: As a right winger I still deplore any book on Rumsfeld that fails to point out that he was responsible for providing Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction in the 80's AND that he opened diplomatic relations between Saddam and the US in the late 70's, that Saddam was a close pal with whom he brokered countless arms deals - and that Rumsfeld had full knowledge (if not approval) of Saddam gassing the Kurds - this is quite simply a pathetic whitewash. Rumsfeld is an evil hypocrite - : like Kissinger he doesn' dare step foot in Europe lest he be prosecuted as a war criminal. Very poor book.
Rating: 
Summary: Really good, but Rise of the Vulcans is better.
Review: Don't get me wrong, I really liked this Rumsfeld's War. The author obviously had the full cooperation of Don Rumsfeld in the writing of this book (including obtaining a classified threat analysis report, which is reproduced in the Appendix -- fascinating!). There are great anecdotes about Rummy that really give good insight into his personality, e.g. the fact that he still plays squash with the old "hard" balls, and on the court regularly bests men half his age. That said, if you could only purchase one book on Rumsfeld, I would recommend Jim Mann's "Rise of the Vulcans", which is more comprehensive, reflective, and objective. I would say that "Rumsfeld's War" is for fans of Rummy, but "Vulcans" is for serious students of the War on Terror.
Rating:
Summary: Propaganda
Review: From the muddled musings of Rowan Scarborough one would close this book "safe in the knowledge" that Mr Rumsfeld is a noble and intelligent man and not the oil sipping lunatic that he really is.
Rating:
Summary: short read with great insight
Review: i don't mind saying i am a big fan of rummy. this is a fascinating inside account of what transpired over the last 3 years at the highest levels of government. thank goodness someone like rummy took a radical approach to the war on terror and the dod bureaucracy. what shocked me is the continued pettiness among our nation's military leaders with their vendettas and political sniping. eric shinseki is a puss. plain and simple. bureaucrats who turn out volumes of useless reports have clearly never spent time in the private sector. rummy actually reads this stuff and throws it back when the quality is weak. score one for sanity!
Rating:
Summary: a magnificent surprise
Review: I expected a puff piece. Instead, I missed the bus stop because I wasn't paying attention to anything but the book. And I'm only on page 100. Terrific inside stuff...and I work in the Pentagon. This book shows how little I know about what's happening next door.
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