Donald Rumsfeld, war criminal, dies at age 88

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Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time defense secretary and one-time presidential candidate, has died. He was 88.

Widely considered a war criminal for his role in the Iraq War, Rumsfeld had an eventful career under four presidents and nearly a quarter century in corporate America.

He is the only person to serve twice as Pentagon chief. The first time, from 1975 to 1977, he was the youngest ever. The next time, from 2001 to 2006, he was the oldest.

Rumsfeld made a brief run for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, a flop that he once described as humbling for a man used to success at the highest levels of the government, including stints as White House chief of staff, U.S. ambassador and member of Congress.

For all Rumsfeld’s achievements, it was the setbacks in Iraq in the twilight of his career that will likely etch the most vivid features of his legacy.

As Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld played a central role in the invasion of Afghanistan and invasion of Iraq.

The Iraq War is estimated to have caused at least 655,000 total deaths, most of them civilians.