Rumsfeld Cashing In With Iraq Memoir?

What’s a former secretary of defense to do now that he’s out of a job? Well, the answer for Donald Rumsfeld is apparently to write a (controlled) memoir arguing in defense of his military maneuvers in Iraq — for a sweet chunk of change. New York publishers are buzzing about Rummy’s rumored pitch, which he’s apparently shopping around to see how much he has to reveal to land a lucrative deal.

New York Sun:

A principal for the publicity firm Shirley & Banister, Craig Shirley, said such a book would have a better-than-fair shot of becoming a bestseller if it was properly marketed, well-written, and contained interesting new content. In addition, the publisher of the conservative imprint Regnery, Marji Ross, estimated the former secretary would command at least a six-figure advance. Someone like Mr. Rumsfeld, who has a loyal following and yet sparks a lot of controversy, is good for book sales, she said.

A former spokesman for Mr. Rumsfeld, Lawrence di Rita, who is familiar with the former defense secretary’s activities, said the primary focus of Mr. Rumsfeld, who resigned from the Bush administration last year, has been the planning of a new educational foundation, and that the ex-defense chief has not made a final decision about whether to write a book.

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