He said the way to defeat terrorists is get them before they attack you. They can hit "anytime, in anyplace, using any technique."

Rumsfeld said the war in Iraq had captured and killed terrorists. "People ask 'well how are we doing?' The answer is pretty darn well," he told CLTV, a cable news outlet.

The Pentagon chief said it could take 5 to 10 years to change the culture in the U.S. intelligence community and that it won't be easy.

"These things are fundamental and important," Rumsfeld said in response to a question about recommendations of the 9-11 Commission.

Protesters from the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism stood on buckets with plastic bags over their heads outside the Four Seasons Hotel, where Rumsfeld spoke to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and the Commercial Club of Chicago.

The protest was peaceful and no one was arrested.

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