# The Poetry of D.H. Rumsfeld **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113 "2003-04-03T02:50:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/1 "2003-04-03T02:50:19Z")
[The Poetry of D.H. Rumsfeld](http://slate.msn.com/id/2081042/) > [@](#): > > Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is an accomplished man. Not only is he guiding the war in Iraq, he has been a pilot, a congressman, an ambassador, a businessman, and a civil servant. But few Americans know that he is also a poet. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/2 "2003-04-03T03:04:14Z")
Surely the war can’t be about professional jealousy - a war of [words](http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/487.cfm) so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Jerrybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8c91f0/32.png) [@Jerrybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerrybear)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/3 "2003-04-04T14:39:17Z")
Oy vey! As if it was not bad enough that John Asshat (oops, I mean Ashcroft!) is writing and singing very cheesy patriotic songs. Now we have another member of the Bush Regime thinking he is some kind of artist. No thanks! I’ll stick to Allen Ginsberg and the other Beats for poetry, and the Grateful Dead/Bob Dylan/Phil Ochs et. al. for music. ---
**Author:** ![Humble\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/47e85d/32.png) [@Humble\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humble_Servant)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/4 "2003-04-04T15:28:31Z")
> [@](#): > > **Clarity** > > I think what you’ll find, > I think what you’ll find is, > Whatever it is we do substantively, > There will be near-perfect clarity > --------As to what it is. > > And it will be known, > And it will be know to the Congress, > And it will be known to you, > Probably before we decide it, > -------But it will be known. I like it. I for one will be happy to contirbute to endow a chair in something like Modernity and Language for him at a small Midwestern University, provided he can start right away. [sub]He’s not actually claiming to be a poet, folks–Slate has lifted his words directly from transcripts of briefings and such. So, he’s a poet and he don’t know it. His poetic nature is seeping through and is not wholly repressed even by the business of war. That’s _pretty_ powerful stuff, war poetry is.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/5 "2003-04-04T16:07:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jerrybear \* > \*\* > > No thanks! I’ll stick to Allen Ginsberg and the other Beats for poetry, and the Grateful Dead/Bob Dylan/Phil Ochs et. al. for music. \*\* Well, then, here’s a reasonable proposition: we on the Right will get Rumsfeld to stop writing poetry (for which he probably has no real talent) if you on the Left will get Allen Ginsberg to shut up about politics (about which we KNOW he’s an ignoramus). ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/6 "2003-04-04T16:14:22Z")
I believe Allen Ginsberg is dead. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/7 "2003-04-04T16:56:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Olentzero \* > \*\*I believe Allen Ginsberg is dead. \*\* So he is, as of April 5, 1997. As Popeye would say, Garshk, this is embarraskin’. ---
**Author:** ![gorillacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@gorillacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gorillacus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/8 "2003-04-04T17:07:25Z")
i feel sooooooo inspired!!! Rummies day at work, bombs over Bagdad today what rhymes with Saddam? Haiku! ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/9 "2003-04-04T17:22:20Z")
TOP SECRET Rummy’s Poetry log - April 4, 2003 > [@](#): > > In Baghdad today > Then Damascus tomorrow > Tehran to follow TOP SECRET ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/10 "2003-04-04T18:02:35Z")
astorian said: > [@](#): > > Well, then, here’s a reasonable proposition: we on the Right will get Rumsfeld to stop writing poetry (for which he probably has no real talent) if you on the Left will get Allen Ginsberg to shut up about politics (about which we KNOW he’s an ignoramus). Olentzero said: > [@](#): > > I believe Allen Ginsberg is dead. Okay astorian, we’ve kept our part of the bargain! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/11 "2003-04-06T04:34:01Z")
Jees, and all we had to do was kill 'im. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/12 "2003-04-06T04:38:36Z")
> [@](#): > > **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. Now this is just…words fail me. Is it necessary to take a drug test before you get the Secretary of Defense job? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poetry-of-d-h-rumsfeld/166113/13 "2003-04-06T05:08:54Z")
What was Ashcroft’s song, again? I remember hearing it-it was pretty bad.