Not since Robert McNamara has a secretary of defense been so hated by the military and derided by the public, yet played such a critical role in national security policy - with such disastrous results." "Now Dale Herspring, a political conservative and lifelong Republican, offers a nonpartisan assessment of Rumsfeld's impact on the U.S. military establishment from 2001 to 2006, focusing especially on the Iraq War - from the decision to invade through the development and execution of operational strategy and the enormous failures associated with the postwar reconstruction of Iraq." "Herspring shows that, contrary to his public deference to the generals, Rumsfeld dictated strategy and operations - sometimes even tactics - to prove his transformation theories. He signed off on abolishing the Iraqi army, famously refused to see the need for a counterinsurgency plan, and seemed more than willing to tolerate the torture of prisoners. Meanwhile, the military became demoralized and junior officers left in droves.