Dark Bilious Vapors

But how could I deny that I possess these hands and this body, and withal escape being classed with persons in a state of insanity, whose brains are so disordered and clouded by dark bilious vapors....
--Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy: Meditation I

Home » Archives » December 2004 » Are these real?

[« Thought for the Day:] [Apropos of my rereading The Right Stuff this week.... »]

12/07/2004: Are these real?


Found in a correspondent's .sig quote. I'd really like to believe that Rumsfeld is as stupid as to actually say some (or even better, all) of these things (if he has, he's up there with Dumbya Bush in the lacking brains department), but these have me wondering... some just seem a little too pat:

I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past. I think the past was not predictable when it started.

We do know of certain knowledge that he [Osama Bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead.
Nothing like the certainty of covering all the possibilities...
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.

I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think, and, well, I assume it's what I said.
-Donald Rumsfeld


Len on 12.07.04 @ 08:08 AM CST



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Replies: 2 comments

on Tuesday, December 7th, 2004 at 6:17 PM CST, Mick said

I think those quotes are both brilliant and funny, especially the first one. I think Rumsfeld's humor is underappreciated, but that's probably because his willingness to clearly divulge certain information is lacking.

on Tuesday, December 7th, 2004 at 7:08 PM CST, Len Cleavelin said

I don't know. The first one is true but somwhat clumsily phrased, IMHO (I suppose one can consider that a matter of taste). The second is merely a tautology. The third strikes me as being cynical, especially coming from someone who's never put *his* ass on the line for anything. And the fourth strikes me as silly at best.

But you are aware, I'm sure, that I've never been a fan of Rummy. :-)

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