The poetry of Donald Rumsfeld

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http://slate.msn.com/id/2081042/

quite profound, he is clearly a tender, philisophical soul.

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Hanle y I kiss you.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

He won the plain english campaign's 'foot in mouth award' today due to his poor command of the language.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Unknown" surely deserves some kind of award.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The Unknown

As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

Any surprise this was created by a politician? Tis the credo of American politics: "We know absolutely nothing, but dress it up in big enough words, and few will be able to tell the difference"

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

The Poetry of D. H. Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld, political and ethical philosopher
BBC - Radio 4 - BH Donald Rumsfeld Soundbites

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I think people are somewhat missing the mark in their attacks on Rumsfeld. eg. I heard Jeremy Vine with a Plain English person today.

I am in favour of clarity where appropriate, and possibly un- where in-.

I think DR's words were abstract and strange - very strange - anything but typical of Politicians.

Then again, they were Plain enough. Their problem was not their complexity.

And the problem with DR is not the standard of English that he talks.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Donald Rumsfeld is not a politician.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

He's not?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

not in the sense that Secretary of Defense is a political office, no.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Difference in administrative systems, the equivalent position, of course, is in the UK. Splitting hairs a little though, he is a political appointee as opposed to a civil servant though (a distinction that's getting far too blurred in this country)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:15 (twenty-one years ago)

true. I usually think of a politician as someone who runs for office, although that is only one definition of the word.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I spread the definition much wider just because you got to call all those appointees something else to keep them distinct from civil servants.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

well I usually call Donald Rumsfeld a "fucking asshole," which seems pretty distinct to me.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

"mad scientists, once appointed, hold their chairs for life"

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

they should put them down, they might rupture themselves holding things for that long

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Rumsfeld is a genius - he didn't explicitly mention the logical fourth and most interesting of the four categories, ie. "unknown knowns", the things we don't know we know ...

― Neil Willett (Neil Willett), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

what he doesn't know he knows goes without saying

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 23:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

but the rowers keep on rowing

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

and certainly aren't showing...any signs...that they're slowing...!

― nonthings (nonthings), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104604,00.html

― nonthings (nonthings), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Proof that ILX should be running the country....

(xpost)

LODNON — He may not know it -- or know that he knows it -- but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search) has won this year's "Foot in Mouth" award for the most baffling statement by a public figure.

Hands down for anyone that actually why he's so worthy

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

electrical appliance maker SMEG

That's just unfortunate.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:06 (twenty-one years ago)

rumsfeld at least WAS a poltician. he served in the house:

ILLINOIS
Donald H. Rumsfeld (R) 1963-1969

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

"Lodnon"???

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

(it reads better in dobly)

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 02:59 (twenty-one years ago)

teh secretary of defense under Clinton actually did write a book of poetry , as you will know fromwatching Michael Moor's "the awful truth". I guess it comes with the turf

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 10:01 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

Snippets of Rumsfeld’s ‘poetic’ news briefings set to classical music
By Ron Harris
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After hearing Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dress down reporters at Pentagon news briefings, two San Francisco musicians came to an inevitable conclusion: his words simply must be set to chamber music.
So they’ve taken Rumsfeld’s explanations of world affairs and set them to airy classical compositions.
The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Songs includes The Unknown from Rumsfeld’s Feb. 12, 2002, briefing on the situation in Iraq:
“As we know,
“There are known knowns.
“There are things we know we know.
“We also know there are known unknowns ... ”
Now those words are lyrics sung by soprano Elender Wall, set to the lofty chords of composer and pianist Bryant Kong.
The self-published CD has been featured on National Public Radio and several websites. Kong is hoping coverage will fuel brisk sales.
Kong — no fan of the Bush administration — says Rumsfeld’s unscripted remarks are at once deliberate and casual, and often simply odd. The combination is perfect for classical music, Kong said.
“What we show in the songs is that we believe that Rumsfeld is telling a story that doesn’t hold up — that he is trying to sell a war that is not justified,” Kong said. “These classically based forms are a great way of doing that.”
Among those enjoying the sendup: Rumsfeld himself.
“Someone gave me a copy of this thing, and here is this woman with a wonderful voice singing my press conference,” Rumsfeld marvelled at a meeting of the Newspaper Association of America last month. “Now, if that doesn’t tell you something about the state of the world.”
Last year, journalist-humorist Hart Seely took selected Rumsfeld briefings and without changing a word, presented them in the form of free verse, sonnets and haiku in his book Pieces of Intelligence: The Existential Poetry of Donald H. Rumsfeld.
Kong, who got permission to use Seely’s work for his musical compositions, has considered whether the words of other top politicians might work as forms of art. He thinks President George W. Bush’s statements lack the necessary substance, while Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry would put people to sleep.
“Public figures deserve what they get in terms of artistic treatment, and George Bush’s misstatement’s are a desk calendar,” Kong said wryly. “I guess John Kerry’s speech would be a very long tone poem. It would have to be at least 45 minutes long.”
———
On the Net:
http://www.stuffedpenguin.com

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 18:53 (twenty-one years ago)

TS: Bryant Kong's "The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld" vs. Donald Rumsfeld, "Let the Eagle Soar"

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Ashcroft did that.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually some of Rumsfeld's stuff appears on Phil Kline's "Zippo Songs" album as well, according to AMG.

― TOMBOT, Thursday, 13 May 2004 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

(Now I must edit a short bio of the Rumsfeld for some conference material I'm working on. D'ya think I'd get away with it if I slipped in a reference to his songwriting and published poetry?)

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 13 May 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/01/features/shake.html

"We once got Rumsfeld to wear a robe and a crown," Adelman recalled. He was referring to an early seminar, attended by the current defense secretary , Donald Rumsfeld, who was also defense secretary in the late 1970s, when Adelman was his assistant. "Then it took us two days to get it off him."

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)

"The Unknown" is really brilliant i think. it nearly metaphysical!

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

rumsfeld poetry: POO

the one about the crane is unbeatable I think, so wistful.

― teeeny, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

someone gave mr teeny the rumsfeld poetry book, and I saw it on the shelf last night, and I started thinking, that was kind of funny at first but now it's really really not.

― teeeny, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

seven years pass...

Occurred to me today that his famous "fight with the army you have" line is basically a paraphrase of "Love the one you're with"

― i don't believe in zimmerman (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 15:30 (thirteen years ago)

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