Just thought this was funny ... Rumsfeld wins "Foot in Mouth" award Mon Dec 1,11:50 AM ET LONDON (Reuters) - A bizarre comment by U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the hunt for Iraq (news - web sites)'s weapons of mass destruction has been awarded the "Foot in Mouth" prize by the Plain English Campaign. Rumsfeld, renowned for his uncompromising tough talking, received the prize for the most baffling comment by a public figure. "Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know," Rumsfeld told a press briefing. "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." John Lister, spokesman for the campaign which strives to have public information delivered in clear, straightforward English, said: "We think we know what he means. But we don't know if we really know." [] Although Rumsfeld's comments were made at a press briefing in February 2002, they were nominated for this year's award. Rumsfeld, whose boss U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) is often singled out by language critics for his sometimes unusual use of English, took the booby prize ahead of a bizarre effort from actor-turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites). "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman," was the odd statement from the new California Governor. Previous holders of the award include U.S. actress Alicia Silverstone and Chancellor Gordon Brown. Last year's winner was actor Richard Gere. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...10&u=/nm/20031201/od_uk_nm/oukoe_odd_rumsfeld
Rumsfeld didn't make that phrase up. I first read George Will use it in one of his columns, but the original author is unknown.
Right... Here's George from a 2001 column... "WASHINGTON -- Regarding the economy, this is a time -- like, come to think about it, all other times, regarding everything -- to remember this: "There are knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns." That axiom (whose author is unknown) is pertinent to the problem of understanding the economy's trajectory, or at least not misunderstanding it too harmfully." Rumsfeld probably doesn't deserve the award, but he should still get demerits for adding to the confusion by offering his explanations.
