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" Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want. "
Donald Rumsfeld
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" Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life. "
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" Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small. "
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" Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position. "
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" 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. "
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" 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. "
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" Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help. "
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" If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it. "
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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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" With the press there is no 'off the record.' "
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" Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up. "
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" If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought. "
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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. "
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" When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. "
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" Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership. "
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" Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning. "
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" 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. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post. "
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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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" 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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" Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" It is easier to get into something than to get out of it. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Preserve the President's options. He may need them. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" 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. "
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" In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" 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. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" 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. "
Donald Rumsfeld