Poetry corner: Rumsfeld + Rumsfeldiana

So farewell, Rummy. (A pastiche.)

The General

'Good-morning; good-morning!' the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,
And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
'He's a cheery old card,' grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack. .
But he did for them both by his plan of attack
-- Siegfried Sassoon

The Secretary of Defense
“Good to see ya son,” Rummy said with a grin,
When he bade us farewell in a hanger in Maine.
Now the grunts he waved off are crippled or dead,
And we blame the president for being so lame.
“He’s OK, served his time,” called out Jose to John,
As they schlepped into Fallujah with rifles and bombs. . .
But he got it wrong - and the boys are now gone.
-- Anon

Thanks, Gavin!

There's more! The poetry oF Donald Rumsfeld in His Own Words:

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.
-- Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing

For other examples of the Zen-like poetry of the Don: slate and slate

Update! Mp3 of Rum's Unknowns known and unknown, put to music by someone called E R Flynn: The Lights are Dim via WFMU's Beware of the Blog