Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Kicks Off Book Tour At National Constitution Center In Philadelphia

Donald Rumsfeld began his national book tour to promote his new book, Known and Unknown (Sentinel), at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia last night.

I covered the event for Counterterrorism magazine and along with more than 700 people in the audience I watched the exchange between historian Michael Beschloss and Rumsfeld.

(Beschloss is on the left and Rumsfeld is on the right in the above Zimbio photo).

Donald Rumsfeld, 78, who served as the youngest Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford, and later served as the oldest Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush, was "on watch" at the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attack and the subsequent launching of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I thought Rumsfeld was engaging, forthright and humorous.

Unfortunately, I thought Michael Beschloss asked the sort of softball questions one would expect from CNN's Larry King.

I received a review copy of Known and Unknown today and I look forward to reading it.

I'll post my Counterterrorism piece here when it comes out.