Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld Offers Message of Hope at Hillsdale College
Oct. 17, 2016
Hillsdale, Mich. — Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld spoke to an attentive crowd on October 10 at Hillsdale College on the current state of affairs in politics and foreign affairs. During “An Evening With Donald Rumsfeld,” the former secretary of defense offered a positive message of hope, optimism, and assurance for America’s future.
“I think about the future of this wonderful country and its direction,” said Rumsfeld. “If you think about it, we all know people who say the country’s not going right or this should have been done or that should have been done. But the truth is, if we’re not comfortable with the way the country’s going, the only place we can look is in the mirror. It is to the people, the American people, that we have to look to give direction and guidance, and indeed, even course corrections.”
“I always think of politics like throwing a pebble in a pond, and the ripples go out,” he added. “Every person sends out ripples and every person has a lot more influence as to the direction and course of our country, and the outcome, that we give ourselves credit for. We have a great country, and it has to be rooted in the American people.”
Secretary Rumsfeld was introduced by Pat Sajak, who serves as vice chairman of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees.
Rumsfeld’s speech may be viewed in its entirety at https://www.hillsdale.edu/live/donald-rumsfeld/, and photos may be viewed here.
About Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld served as the U.S. secretary of defense in 1975-77 under President Gerald Ford, and again in 2001-06 under President George H.W. Bush, where he led the Department of Defense after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. His memoir, Known and Unknown, and his second book, Rumsfeld’s Rules, were featured on the New York Times bestseller list. Rumsfeld currently chairs the non-profit Rumsfeld Foundation with Joyce, his wife of more than 60 years.