Donald, We Will Miss Your Poetry (MP3s)

[ 4 MP3s based on lyrics by poetically inclined politicians in this post. ]

You can say whatever you want about Don Rumsfeld, but he has certainly set new standards in the field of improvised politician's poetry. Hart Seely has compiled a a book of Rumsfeld poems, some of which he put on-line here and here. I only hope that Don keeps on poeticizing after being kicked out of the government. I think he is more comfortable with language than with warfare.

His poems have also been set to music, by Bryan Kong and Elender Wall (listen to some songs here), and by Phil Kline on his album Zippo Songs. Here are the Three Rumsfeld Songs from this album in MP3 format: As We Know | That Many Vases | Near-Perfect Clarity

Maybe Rumsfeld could have kept his job if he had listened to fellow poet Ho Chi Minh's words "The Poet Should Know How To Lead An Attack" from the song On Reading 'An Anthology of 1000 Poets' (MP3, here performed by Phil Minton and Veryan Weston from the album Ways Past). Unfortunately, it is too late now.

Comments

[John from Oslo]

And Robert Gates will replace him! When this was presented in the news over here - there was a monumental effort to urge people to read between the lines, as the words "Former director of the CIA, and friend of the Bush family" was uttered. What they really said could have been something from "Sopranos"; "We just flew in this guy "Roberto Gatto" from Palermo. He is the third cousin of Georgino the untouchable. Cannelloni will be served after the meeting at Badabing. Then we discuss the future of the republic/family, and the banana export contract".

[bartelby]

I think the resignation of Rumsfeld was in response to the kinds of reactions he's been getting at public meetings with military families. Which is to say boos and heckling at his dishonesty and arrogance when he informed them that they'd have to wait though another 3-6 months or more to see their family member. Oh and the cardboard cutouts of family members serving given to people waiting for a loved one to come home from overseas likely backfired as well. This reflects a larger antipathy for the man on the part of military personnel and their families. The editorials calling for his resignation in Military Times publications were ony the tip of the iceberg. Definitely a conditional victory for working people in the military.
The timing of his resignation is standard politics-Stack up your defeats so in retrospect it looks like only one defeat.

[Station Manager Ken]

I always thought that Rummy's "unknown unknowns" speech was one of the more sensible things he ever said, yet this was the utterance that earned him the most derision of all. It makes perfect sense, actually.

I feel the same way about Ted Stevens' "the internet is made up of tubes." Working in the IT industry, all you ever hear geeks talk about is "pipes," as in the T1's or the big fat circuits that make the internet run. Geeks (and I guess I am one myself now...) always refer to these things as "pipes," yet when Ted Stevens refers to them as "tubes," it's the most hilarious thing since fluffernutters!

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day... sometimes these buffoons actually do make some sense.

-ken