unknown unknowns

[rone]

Thanks to the talented Penny Hill: Rummy wins the coveted Foot in Mouth award for his soon-to-be-classic 'unknown unknowns' speech.

I still find it hard to believe there's an electrical appliance maker named SMEG.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

If people want Bush to leave theology to theologians, it follows that Rumsfeld should leave epistemology to philosophers.

I think there's probably a clearer way to express what he said, but that he even went into that ramble is a bit odd.

I think

[vardissakheli.livejournal.com]

he was struggling to quote George Will. (http://www.oakridger.com/stories/010201/opE_0102010041.html) I agree: It's gobbledegook. It may not be meaningless, but its meaning was poorly connected to its context and not worth anywhere near the number of words devoted to it.

BTW, did he say "known knowns" or "no knowns"? Most of the reports I read at the time said the latter, which is even more baffling. But the former is just as much gobbledegook, being tautologous and, well, tautologous.