The man who eagerly carried out the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians died today at 88.
From The Washington Post:
At the Pentagon, he ruled with a strong hand, persistently challenging subordinates, poring over details of troop deployments and insisting on a greater role in the selection of top officers than his predecessors had exercised. While capable at times of great charm and generosity, he often seemed to undercut himself with a confrontational, gruff and belittling manner that many found offensive. Senior officers complained that he treated them harshly, legislators groused that he was either unresponsive to their requests or disrespectful in personal dealings, and senior officials at the State Department and the White House portrayed him as uncompromising, evasive and obstructive.
As a private citizen, he used his influence to enrich himself by bypassing FDA regulations to get aspartame approved without sufficient testing.
[image: DoD photo by TECH. SGT. Andy Dunaway]
