Sec. Donald Rumsfeld has rules for life, scandal

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says admitting you’re lost is the first step to fixing problems in Washington D.C.

Rumsfeld recalled for the Michael Medved Show a rule he read in his Navy flight manual that he believes applies to the Benghazi mess: If you’re lost, climb to get some altitude, conserve, and confess ‘I am lost.’

“We’ve all been lost once in awhile, but as I watch the floundering … what you really need to do is you need to say ‘OK everyone, step back, take a deep breath, tell the truth,'” said Rumsfeld, who recently penned a new book “Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life.”

Rumsfeld said there are two rules in Washington DC: the cover up is worse than the event and no one remembers the first rule.

As for the IRS scandal, Rumsfeld said using it to seek out and punish anyone’s views … is wrong and it’s a misuse of government power.

“It strikes at the very root of what we as Americans believe is a free system.”

One of Medved’s favorite ideas in Rumsfeld’s new book came from former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D).

“In unanimity, there’s often either cowardice or uncritical thinking,” recalled Rumsfeld. “But he also said ‘buy black socks.'”