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" Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue. "
Donald Rumsfeld
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" Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children. "
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" If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence. "
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" It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task. "
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" Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary. "
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" Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs. "
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" Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up. "
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" Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men. "
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" With the press there is no 'off the record.' "
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" Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership. "
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" If in doubt, move decisions up to the President. "
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" When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views. "
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" 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. "
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" 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. "
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" Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes. "
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" There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. "
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