Known Knowns and Unknown Unknowns: What Do We Know Now? What Do We Really Want to Know?

_{Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster: National Archives
Click for full-sized Image}

Here we have an infamous quote of Rumsfeld’s about known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns. This convoluted statement has made the rounds of humorists and critics, and with good reason. To be fair, though, I should start out by acknowledging that, if you manage to work your way through the phrasing, he’s saying something accurate. It’s perhaps redundant, but accurate: there are things we know, there are things we are aware of but do not know yet, and there things that we are completely unaware of and which may blind-side us later on. This is true about everything all the time.

In principle, there’s nothing wrong with pointing out this out; where the problem occurs is in the fact that Donald Rumsfeld, a member of the Bush administration, is the one doing it. This administration has, more than any other, engaged in egregious and extensive denial of reality in the service of their ideological agendas. Where facts have refused to fit in with what they want, those facts are distorted or simply ignored. People who know better are silenced. People who don’t know any better, or worse still who know better but don’t care, are promoted.

For this administration, knowledge and wisdom are less important than ideological purity; competence and skill are less important than personal loyalty. It is thus especially inappropriate for this administration to presume to lecture anyone at any time about differentiating between what we know and what we don’t know. This is simply a distinction that makes no difference to them — they are out to create their own reality and their own “knowns,” so what they don’t know doesn’t matter to them.

Perhaps that is why they entered Iraq so unprepared. Recent revelations demonstrate that they should have known that things would likely go badly and sectarian strife would result, but they didn’t care — they told us that we would be greeted as liberators. They should have known that there would be an insurgency, but they didn’t care, and that’s why they sent in our soldiers and Marines without enough body armor or even properly armored vehicles. They should have known that relying on private contractors to do so much of the supplying of basic necessities would be inadequate, but rather than use the military they funneled huge amounts of money to private companies linked to administration officials themselves.

What we do and do not know matters to the rest of us, though, and thus there is some value in turning it around and using it as a basis for discussing the administration itself. What are some of the “known knowns” — things we know that we know? We know that this administration has sought to extend the reach of executive power beyond anything attempted by previous presidents. We know that this administration launched a war of aggression on the basis of flimsy or fabricated evidence. We know that this administration has used torture on suspects held in secret prisons and abused civil liberties in far-reaching and diverse ways.

What are some of the “known unknowns” — things we are aware of, but don’t know yet? We don’t know how extensive the torture and secret prison system extend. We don’t know how far up the chain of command authorization for torture, secret prisons, domestic spying, and violations of civil liberties really goes. We don’t know the extent to which such abuses are the result of people cynically manipulating the opportunities they see or are the result of people who sincerely believe that unchecked presidential power is necessary for the defense of the nation. We don’t know the extent to which basic principles of human decency and morality have been torn asunder in the name of the American people.

What might some of the “unknown unkonwns” be — things that we aren’t even aware of yet? I’m not sure I want to know, given how bad even just the known unknowns are. Now that Democrats are in charge of the entire Congress, though, it’s possible that the legislative branch will finally start doing some of its constitutionally mandated oversight, leading to an uncovering of all the cover-ups. If that doesn’t work, perhaps courts in Germany will be able to get to the bottom of things.

This image is based on a World War II poster advising soldiers not to assume that the supply depots are run by mind readers, but instead should properly order what they really need. We’re not going to have Donald Rumsfeld to kick around anymore, so I wanted to get my last licks in now while I have a chance. I’ve actually been procrastinating on using this image for a while now but then he goes and resigns on me. How inconsiderate!

Some of you might be interested to learn that one of my "War on Christmas" posters was denounced last week by William Donahue of the Catholic League. It's quite an honor! The Inquisition hasn't shown up at my door yet, but I expect them here any time...