The American Spectator

A transcript of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s engaging remarks from our dinner last night has been released by the Defense Department. It includes some memorable moments, particularly when Rumsfeld discusses Milton Friedman, and the article by Friedman that he had come across while browsing through our very first issue (from 1967). To think that last night, Milton Friedman was still with us.

I looked at the first edition the other day, and the — they sent me the people who’d written in it, and Milton Friedman had a piece in there on the all —- the case for the all-volunteer Army. And I think it was your very first edition. And Milton Friedman, God bless him, who’s still going strong and is such a talent, he had piece in there, and the Spectator printed it. And here we are today, with the finest force on the face of the Earth, the best-led, the best-trained, the best-equipped. And there’s never been a military like the military we have today, and its all volunteers. (Applause.)

Every single person in it is a volunteer. They raised their hand and said, “Send me.” And God bless them for it. (Applause.)