Donald Rumsfeld: Osama not ‘tough call’
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says President Barack Obama’s decision to order the raid that killed Osama bin Laden wasn’t a “tough” call, adding that it would “just be dumbfounding” if any president had decided otherwise.
“You mentioned there was a tough decision,” Rumsfeld said on Tuesday night on Fox News’ “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.” “I don’t think it was a tough decision. We’ve seen a lot of instances where presidents over the years have had to make decisions like that.”Continue Reading
Rumsfeld —who spoke with Van Susteren on the anniversary of bin Laden’s death — called the capture and killing of the Al Qaeda leader a “huge accomplishment,” but noted that it was ultimately an easy decision for the president to make.
“I think after spending that amount of time, that number of years and that much money — we increased the special operations forces by about 50 percent. We increased their budget. We increased their equipment. And they develop these skill sets and improve the intelligence capability of our country,” he said. “And finally, when all that comes together, to not make that decision, it seemed to me, would just be dumbfounding. I can’t imagine any president not making that decision. That’s not to say it wasn’t a huge accomplishment. It was.”
“But not a — but in your mind, not a tough decision,” Van Susteren said.
“No,” Rumsfeld replied. “Not at all.”
Rumsfeld also told Van Susteren he feels politicizing bin Laden’s death is “unfortunate.” But, he said, “a president has to run on his record. And this was a significant accomplishment for the administration, and it’s — the world’s a better place for that.”