The Curtain Is Drawn On the Rumsfeld Era

Pace lauded Rumsfeld's courage, compassion and particularly his willingness to accept the blame for misdeeds by subordinates. "Secretary Rumsfeld accepted the responsibility and not once, in public or in private, did I ever hear this man try to shift responsibility to anyone else but himself," Pace said.

Cheney hailed Rumsfeld as his best boss, best friend, an "ideal" public servant and "the finest secretary of defense this nation has ever had."

For his part, Bush portrayed Rumsfeld as a comrade in arms. "Don Rumsfeld has been at my side from the moment I took office. We've been through war together," Bush said.

"We walked amid the rubble of the broken Pentagon the day after September the 11th, 2001. He was with me when we planned the liberation of Afghanistan. We were in the Oval Office together the day I gave the order to remove Saddam Hussein from power," he said.

"In these and countless other moments, I have seen Don Rumsfeld's character and his integrity. He has always ensured I had the best possible advice. . . . He spoke straight. It was easy to understand him."

Rumsfeld, taking the podium as the sun broke through a heavy December sky, chose to focus his remarks not on his six-year tenure but on the future. "Weakness is provocative," he warned, drawing similarities between the threat of extremist groups today and the Cold War threats the nation faced when he ended his previous stint in the top Pentagon job in 1977.

"America's enemies should not confuse the American people's distaste of war -- which is real and which is understandable -- with a reluctance to defend our way of life," said Rumsfeld, who drew prolonged applause at the end of his speech.

Known both for his impatient, demanding managerial style and for his quick wit, Rumsfeld yesterday dispatched the last of thousands of "snowflakes" or memos -- his favored method for issuing questions and instructions.

"The blizzard is over!" he said in the memo addressed to Pentagon personnel. "Thank you for all you do for our wonderful country. Well done!"

He granted "a general amnesty for any outstanding snowflakes."