Perspectives: Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Dies at 88

The only thing tragic about the death of Donald Rumsfeld is that it didn’t occur in an Iraqi prison. Yet that was foreordained, considering how throughout his life inside the precincts of American national security, Rumsfeld escaped the consequences of decisions he made that ensured a violent, frightening end for hundreds of thousands of people.

An actuarial table of the deaths for which Donald Rumsfeld is responsible is difficult to assemble. In part, that’s a consequence of his policy, as defense secretary from 2001 to 2006, not to compile or release body counts,...

The death of Donald Rumsfeld – Republican powerbroker, controversial Defense Secretary and architect of the Iraq war – days before his 89th birthday from multiple myeloma has drawn reaction from lawmakers, presidents and more.

Here is a look at how he is being remembered:

In a statement Wednesday, former President George W. Bush lauded Rumsfeld, who served as Bush's defense secretary, as a "faithful steward of our armed forces."

"A period that brought unprecedented challenges to our country and to our military also brought out the best qualities in Secretary Rumsfeld," the statement reads. "A...