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" Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well. "
Donald Rumsfeld
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" Don't divide the world into 'them' and 'us.' Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours. "
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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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" Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people. "
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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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" Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist. "
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" 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. "
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" Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up. "
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" Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution. "
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" If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes. "
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" When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. "
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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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" 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. "
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" If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. "
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" I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that. "
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" Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost. "
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" Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer. "
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" Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems. "
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" One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong. "
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" Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often. "
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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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" It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task. "
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" In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership. "
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" If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much. "
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" Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want. "
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" 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. "
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" Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction. "
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" If in doubt, move decisions up to the President. "
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" Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective. "
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" Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers. "
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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. "
Donald Rumsfeld