A Public Servant

Partly Cloudy - Hi 54 Lo 43 for Baghdad, Iraq
Partly Sunny - Hi 63 Lo 50 for Northern KY, USA
* This is the first time since I started this blog that the temperature is expected to be warmer in Kentucky than in Baghdad.

Song of the Week: Who's Your Daddy, Toby Keith

Ramble:

Born in Chicago
Princeton Graduate
U.S. Navy Pilot and Instructor
Congressman for the state of Illinois
Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under President Nixon
Counsellor to the President and Director of the Economic Stabilization Program under President Nixon
U.S. Ambassador to N.A.T.O. under President Nixon
Chief of Staff & member of the President's Cabinet under President Ford
13th Secretary of Defense under President Ford
Medal of Freedom Recipient

CEO, President, and then Chairman of G. D. Searle & Company
Chairman & CEO of General Instrument Corporation
Chairman of the Board, Gilead Sciences, Inc.

During his business career, he continued his public service in a variety of Federal posts, including:

Member of the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control (1982 - 1986);
Special Presidential Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty (1982 - 1983);
Senior Advisor to the President's Panel on Strategic Systems (1983 - 1984);
Member of the U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1983 - 1984);
Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East (1983 - 1984);
Member of the National Commission on Public Service (1987 - 1990);
Member of the National Economic Commission (1988 - 1989);
Member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University (1988 - 1992);
Member of the Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1989 - 1991); and
Member of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission (1999 - 2000)

21st Secretary of Defense under President G.W. Bush

--Quite a resume, huh?

Secretary Donald Rumsfeld served our great nation for 50 years. I would be remiss if I let his resignation go by without a word. He rebuilt our military that was gutted during the Clinton Administration. He was one of the few men we looked to for answers when we as a nation faced an enemy like we had never seen before.

This is a man of integrity and good strong character. This is a man of courage and strong will. This man is a gentleman. This is a man of honor. This man is the face of how a real man should behave- an excellent role model for boys and young men. Like him or not, he is a man of his word.

Did Secretary Rumsfeld make mistakes in Iraq? Experts say yes. I'm not an expert- My personal opinion - I don't believe we have enough troops facing this battle. I'm not sure that the objective should be building a democracy at this point. But the secretary was given a mission and he carried out those objectives as he saw fit. He took complete responsibility for all his decisions. Besides the presidency, I can't think of a more difficult job... and the timing- to be Secretary Defense after September 11, 2001.... Fighting an enemy that is not within a border, an enemy that is in our own backyard... "You are either with us or you are with the enemy..." The responsibility, the burden... of making tough choices and decisions is one that none of us will ever have to face. I'm relieved we had a man of conviction making those touch decisions. Those men and women in uniform mean everthing to Secretary Rumsfeld and he never ever took that responsibility lightly.

The thing I like the most about Secretary Rumsfeld and I believe I will miss the most is his cowboy attitude. I love watching him shred a reporter. Ever have anyone tell you there are "no stupid questions"? .........mmmmmm.... Yes there are and Secretary Rumsfeld had no issue pointing out some of the dumbass questions posed by mainstream media.

My heartfelt thank you Secretary Rumsfeld. I'm going to miss you and I hope you enjoy your retirement- If that is what you choose to do at the young age of 74.

Defense Link Biography, Donald Rumsfeld

Answers.com

A bunch of You Tube clips of Secretary Rumsfeld:

Craig Ferguson says goodbye to Secretary Rumsfeld - This is funny

All Them Faces - Photo montage

Speaking at Kansas State University

Secretary Rumsfeld Farewell Speech


Christmas update: All our shopping is completed. Everything is decorated... except for the family room... Michael bought our tree yesterday (it's in the back of the pickup). All the cards have been sent out except for 6, which I will mail on Monday. Packages mailed. Gift tags have been made.

To Do: Decorate the family room. Gift wrap. I think I'm going to make an attempt at making pralines... I have a fantastic recipe...

Blogs and Links to Check Out This Week:

* I have not really focused too much energy on new blogs and links, but every week, I have book marked a gazillion to check out. The following are some of my favorites.

Shallow and Tacky - Yeah... it's what you think and it's all good and funny.

Engrish.com - This is a site dedicated to Japanese marketing... Japanese marketing follows Fernando's creedo, It's better to look good than to feel good... You gotta check this stuff out to believe it.

Code Red - Long overdue. This is a blog I've veen visiting for ages- doing great work for a men in uniform.

My Old Kentucky Blog - a great music blog.

Law and Disorder - A cop's blog.

Housekeeping:

I can't post from Internet Explorer... I have to log on to Firefox. I know I know... why am I using IE anyway? I can't see anything on Firefox that uses Quicktime... something is broken...

Have a great week everyone!