Don Rumsfeld creates an entertaining masterpiece about his half-century in American politics.  

Donald Rumsfeld is something of an enigma.  As a fixture in the political landscape since the 1960's he is someone who should be well known, both for his professional activities and to a certain extent, personally.  But in both capacities he is largely an unknown quantity; at least to the general public that doesn't know him personally.  His memoir, Known and Unknown may change that. 

The title of this autobiography comes from an exchange he had with a member of the press regarding the situation with Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  Mr. Rumsfeld responded that there are things that we know, things we don't know and things we don't know that we don't know; unknown unknowns that are frequently the most difficult to deal with.  Such was the case with Saddam Hussein's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction.   Search the internet for the words "known" and "unknown" and you will find that the Mr. Rumsfeld figures in most of the results. 

Mr. Rumsfeld has been, along with his close friend Dick Cheney, one of the people most hated by liberal intelligencia in recent history.  While no one has, to my knowledge, compared him to Darth Vader, as was the case with Cheney, it is but a small step from some of the criticisms that I have heard.   

I've frequently wondered the reason for this intense criticism.  After reading Known and Unknown I think I have a reason; Mr. Rumsfeld is a true intellectual, and an Ivy League graduate, who is a conservative, or Republican;  He is not a liberal, and certainly does not qualify as a phony intellectuals such as Al Gore and the others whom the political left offers us. 

This memoir gives us a understanding, not only of Don Rumsfeld's view of his experiences in government, but it also a excellent window in the "Unknown" Don Rumsfeld; something that many critics will probably say is his attempt to excuse his actions in government.  While many may assert this position, his writings ring true, if you pay careful attention and consult available sources including, but certainly not limited to those he provides on Rumsfeld.com. 

The story begins with his much discussed meeting with Tariq Aziz in December, 1983, then moves on to his youth in Chicago, his experiences of family life and his father's enlistment in the Armed Forces in World War II.  From there we move to his years at Princeton University, his experiences in the Navy ROTC and his return to Chicago where he eventually ran for and was elected to the United States Congress as a long shot.  It was through this experience that he became acquainted with Gerald Ford, who might never have become President without Rumsfeld's presence in the House, Dick Cheney, who became a lifelong friend, and of course, Richard Nixon, in whose administration he played an important role.    Continuing on, he covers the his brief (and successful) stint at G. D. Searle, and how the Saudi King Fahd would have made a great television commercial for one of its products; the Carter and Reagan years, through Bush I, Clinton, and finally, Bush II where his political career ended. 

All the while, what could be dry history is spiked with personal insights, bits of information about the people he knew and worked with, humorous, insightful, and sometimes downright critical, but never boring.  That is the beauty of this work.  It is American history combined with personal history in a way that is thought provoking and entertaining.  It is not a suspenseful page-turner, nor is it an attempted apology or justification of his actions, but rather, a highly personal memoir.  It is a Rumsfeld's eye view of what happened, why it happened, and what his hopes, fears and beliefs were at the time.  And the beauty of it all is that the author really knows how to write in an entertaining fashion.  It is as if behind the political figure an equally brilliant writer was waiting for his chance to shine, and finally here he is. 

To be sure, the sheer magnitude of this book does not make it a quick and easy read.  It requires a small measure of patience because of the amount of information it provides.  Fortunately, this is where the brilliance of his writing comes across.  The chapters are never too long, and even they are broken into sections which the reader can use as convenient stopping points when necessary to either pause for thought or for a change of pace. 

The book is also spiced with pieces of personal memorabilia, photographs and anecdotes that keep things moving.  It is not a self-serving, work, and Mr. Rumsfeld shows that he even his sense of humor contains a bit of self-deprecation, as indicated by the photograph of him shining the shoes of General Peter Pace. 

In short, this work cannot be recommended too highly.  It is a unique portrait of a half-century of American Government from the inside out.  Even more important, the author, who could have had a number of axes to grind, either doesn't, or conveniently places them aside in the interest of presenting as objective a portrait as possible of his experiences, and the events that he was part of.  His attitude throughout is that of someone who has nothing to defend, and no case to make to the public.  Thus, the portrait is not always flattering but it is "matter of fact;" something to be desired in these times of media spin. 

Known and Unknown is published by Penguin Sentinel, and  is available from Amazon.com and other outlets.