Bradley Graham

Bradley Graham's biography of Donald Rumsfeld is very much a journalist's book. Primarily focused on recounting events, he mainly relies on the words of his interviewees to convey judgments and offer interpretations. This gives his subject (whom Graham interviewed several times for the book) an opportunity to offer his own explanation for events. It is perhaps because of this, though, that Graham's depiction of Rumsfeld as a domineering Secretary of Defense too committed to his interpretation of events to brook dissent is so damming. Though it's focus on Rumsfeld's tenure as defense secretary under George W. Bush (which takes up two-thirds of the book) limits its value as a biography, it is unlikely to be surpassed for some time for its assessment of Rumsfeld's service in a time of crisis and war.… (altro)