1 That's also one of my favorite Rumsfeldisms. Did you know he got lampooned by a Brit paper about that being the dumbest statement of the year for 2003 or something? Its really quite a thoughtful statement I think. Known knowns: OBL doesn't like the US. Known unknowns: How many nukes does NK have, or do they have any at all? Unknown unknowns: Sept 10, 2001; people are planning to use airliners to murder 3000 civilian men, women and children. Rumsfeld is really just a bit too intellectual for some people I think. You need to pay close attention to what he says and think about it carefully.

2 I've actually found myself asking "What do we know? What do we not know? What do we know that we don't know? What don't we know that we don't know?" before, and it actually worked. Of course, once I realized what I had said in the meeting, I broke into a big grin---I'm terrible at a poker face---and had a story to tell. It's the same mindset that was behind the infamous memo he sent out. I really like Rumsfeld and I'd love to have him working for me if I were in a position to employ him. On the flip side, I hear he's not the best in the world to work for. I was aware of the award, and I really couldn't understand it. I think it was probably an award with an agenda; basic parsing of the statement will demonstrate that it's a pretty perceptive series of questions. I don't always agree with him (i.e. transformation) but I would certainly say that he's doing good so far. Any Secretary of Defense who outmaneuvered Henry Kissinger, pleased Richard Nixon, and was photographed in a flight suit after flying the B-1A during tests at Edwards AFB can't be all bad.

3 Brit person here - I am laughing at the fact that you seem to deconstruct Rumsfeld's quotes as some form of deep and meaningful statement when it was a sideways political dodge when challenged as to why no WMDs have been found in Iraq. To develop the theme: Things we know - our own names Things we know we don't know - the contents of our neighbours refrigerator Things we don't know we don't know - er.... well that's called hindsight Good luck running the world, because Lord knows we need it with you lot in charge. I particularly like the way you seem to rate a politician ability on how he looks in a Uniform - nothing like challenging policy is there.