After six stormy years at the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld left behind a controversial legacy as an adviser who wielded a level of influence rivaled by few others. Admirers viewed him as a dedicated patriot who strengthened a military weakened by insufficient funding in the 1990s and who refused to compromise in the face of terrorism. Detractors painted him as a reckless aggressor who botched the Iraq occupation, failed to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and tarnished America's reputation with revelations of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse and other scandals. No one has disputed that Rumsfeld, however, is colorful—and outspoken. Here are a few of the quotes that have defined his career.
