3. Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld, who served as Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush, became a defining figure in the post-9/11 era. He was praised for his swift, decisive leadership during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, yet his reputation suffered due to flawed postwar planning and the use of controversial enhanced interrogation techniques. Rumsfeld’s unapologetic style and policy choices continue to fuel debate about the costs and consequences of the wars he helped launch (via NPR).
