Donald Rumsfeld's Nearly $50,000 Portrait Unveiled At Pentagon (VIDEO)

A painting of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was recently unveiled at the Pentagon and it carried an astounding price tag of nearly $50,000.

The portrait of Rumseld, which the former secretary reportedly paid for himself, will hang in the Department of Defense alongside those of his predecessors as a tribute to the former Secretary's role in the Bush administration.

"This country -- which has treated me so well -- exists and prospers because the members of the United States armed forces have volunteered to step forward and protect it," Rumsfeld said at an unveiling ceremony last week hosted by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "We can choose to engage the world and strengthen alliances with our friends and our trading relations, deter potential foes and to take the fight to them when necessary... Or we can retreat and make the tragic mistake of modeling our country after failing systems. If we choose the latter, let there be no doubt, we are certain to fail the generations that follow."

Back in 2008, the Washington Post reported on the price tag of official portraits, which often range between $7,500 to nearly $50,000.

WATCH: Donald Rumsfeld Portrait Unveiled At Department Of Defense

Comments

[tompoe]

12:29 PM on 06/30/2010

A proud day when the Pentagon hangs a portrait of a war criminal on its' wall.

[wowisdabomb]

09:45 AM on 06/30/2010

Although Rummy paid for his portrait, many other DO NOT, we the TAX PAYERS PAY THE BILL.. WTF?

[Dunkleberger Karl]

06:39 AM on 06/30/2010

Rumsfeilds ego,will far outlive that man,deflated, by revelation,and inditment, that reveal the truth and his contempt for all matters civil or Amerikan.Why Have we Not heard this story on Nbc, or Abc today? Are we Not Men? WE are Devo!!!!

[Dunkleberger Karl]

06:23 AM on 06/30/2010

Is Steward on break, Is Maddow blind, has Oberman forgotten, or is he enrapured with Thurber? Surely Al Franken must comment!

[Dunkleberger Karl]

06:01 AM on 06/30/2010

A more apro te', place of honor,would be the lobby of building 18 @ Walter Reed, where John Murtha,and Salon found, the black mold,and our disabled and crippled wariors, uncared for,and punished for not keeping ,army hours!Or seeking better health care,elsewhere.Another Halburton scandal,another Privatization scandal! But mostly A Rummy, Scandal!

[hugh jasse]

03:01 AM on 06/30/2010

I say you people should be ashamed. Rumsfeld is so important he should have had a sculpture of himself, but in a renewable material, like "adobe" a mix of mud, straw and manure. Then he'd be a "Green" hero too.

[njstarrr]

12:47 AM on 06/30/2010

$50k could fund the unemployment benefits for several Americans. I hope someone gets a hold of some red paint to illustrate to Mr. Rumsfeld, just what we think of him and his portrait ... a war criminal, undeserving of any praise or recognition.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

05:43 AM on 06/30/2010

Have we not eggs?Where be the men of courage, the Real merican hero's of Beer commercial Fame?He who mocked efforts to upgrade equipment,and allowed the looting of the Hall of antiquity, but posted 15xM1a2 tanks,@ the ministry of oil! Who called a femer bone, kept on his,coffee table,A terrific reminder of 9/11! Who abandoned his post,in command ,to go play EMT on the day.(eventually he returned the bone,and was suposedly, I.d.ed /returned to family.But seeing that souvenir, he collected and displayed, on "60 minutes" made me pUKE!

[WhatMatters]

10:20 PM on 06/29/2010

what a taxpayer rip-off!! A Polaroid would have sufficed.

[Tom Joad]

09:39 PM on 06/29/2010

...and here it is, exclusively on HOFFPU...

http://unclestinky.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/devil_on_toilet.jpg

[cykodriven]

09:13 PM on 06/29/2010

They should have just put up an old picture of Eddie from an Iron Maiden album cover. It would pass - and would capture his likeness a little more accurately.

[AdamX]

08:44 PM on 06/29/2010

They should hang it in his jail cell.

[Earl]

08:24 PM on 06/29/2010

Oil on Kevlar, no doubt.

[Tugar]

08:18 PM on 06/29/2010

I watched the movie W. last night on TV !

And after watching the actor playing the part of "Donald Rumsfeld," and Rumsfeld's part to get us into Iraq, I'm wondering what was so honorable about the man, that his portrait should hang on the walls of any government building !

[bella citta]

08:01 PM on 06/29/2010

Reminds me of the Kramer Portrait episode on Seinfeld...."he is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet I can't look away."
I would also add that in Rummy's case I am still Shocked, still Awed by the almost 6 year display of incompetence, hubris, stubbornness and arrogance by this neocon.
Portrait art of an artless man.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

05:48 AM on 06/30/2010

Not 1,but 2 ,Portraits of Rumsfield,and he claimed the value @ $50,000, must've been appraised @Moody's!

[ZombyWoof]

07:52 PM on 06/29/2010

That artist us terrible, he left out the horns and the barbed tail.