Kissinger, Nixon and most other major political figures of his time (and some surprising others, including Elvis) are the subjects of some fascinating vignettes. But the story is important for more than itself. No modern political figure has received more vitriol than Rumsfeld and to read of the actual events in which he moved is to be reminded that we live in a political culture that increasingly leans towards conspiracy for its notion of truth.

For instance, Rumsfeld's single meeting with Saddam Hussein in 1983 has become one of the most viewed political scenes on the net. It is the source of innumerable conspiracy theories and humour from the new school of comedians who see nothing in context and rejoice only in contriving unfunny, unilluminating equivalences. Here, for the first time, Rumsfeld tells the full story of that meeting, including Saddam's parting gift to him of a badly-edited video purporting to show Syrian support for puppy-strangling and live snake-eating.

There are plenty of details for historians to study. But several things make the book stand out. Firstly, the work is in itself a rebuke to the memoir trends of our time. This is not a story of a "journey" or a quest to self-knowledge. It is a book about history — how things happened and what it was like.

And the story is remarkable because the country it happened in was remarkable. The spirit that made this American life possible was a fortunate mix of economic and political circumstance. But it was not circumstance alone. Rather, it was the result of a nation that believed in itself and believed itself good at heart. Not uniquely good and not always good, but certainly not forever or irredeemably bad. In a memorable phrase Rumsfeld describes his opposition to an America which acts as a "global Hamlet", forever torturing itself on the world stage. It is just such an America that we are now beginning to see.

For a different mood is now in the air.  Critics of Iraq and the famous "architects" of the war always found it far more interesting and far easier to attack the firefighters than the fire. Across the campuses and media elites of the West you will be lucky to find anybody who doesn't believe that every death in Iraq was the fault of Rumsfeld and Bush rather than the jihadis and Baathists.