The Unknown<br /><br />As we know,<br />There are known knowns.<br />There are things we know we know.<br />We also know<br />There are known unknowns.<br />That is to say<br />We know there are some things<br />We do not know.<br />But there are also unknown unknowns,<br />The ones we don't know<br />We don't know.<br /><br />-Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing<br /><br />Glass Box<br /><br />You know, it's the old glass box at the-<br />At the gas station,<br />Where you're using those little things<br />Trying to pick up the prize,<br />And you can't find it.<br />It's-<br /><br />And it's all these arms are going down in there,<br />And so you keep dropping it<br />And picking it up again and moving it,<br />But-<br /><br />Some of you are probably too young to remember those-<br />Those glass boxes,<br />But-<br /><br />But they used to have them<br />At all the gas stations<br />When I was a kid.<br /><br />-Dec. 6, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing<br /><br />A Confession<br /><br />Once in a while,<br />I'm standing here, doing something.<br />And I think,<br />"What in the world am I doing here?"<br />It's a big surprise.<br /><br />-May 16, 2001, interview with the New York Times<br /><br />Happenings<br /><br />You're going to be told lots of things.<br />You get told things every day that don't happen.<br /><br />It doesn't seem to bother people, they don't-<br />It's printed in the press.<br />The world thinks all these things happen.<br />They never happened.<br /><br />Everyone's so eager to get the story<br />Before in fact the story's there<br />That the world is constantly being fed<br />Things that haven't happened.<br /><br />All I can tell you is,<br />It hasn't happened.<br />It's going to happen.<br /><br />-Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing<br /><br />The Digital Revolution<br /><br />Oh my goodness gracious,<br />What you can buy off the Internet<br />In terms of overhead photography!<br /><br />A trained ape can know an awful lot<br />Of what is going on in this world,<br />Just by punching on his mouse<br />For a relatively modest cost!<br /><br />-June 9, 2001, following European trip<br /><br />The Situation<br /><br />Things will not be necessarily continuous.<br />The fact that they are something other than perfectly continuous<br />Ought not to be characterized as a pause.<br />There will be some things that people will see.<br />There will be some things that people won't see.<br />And life goes on.<br /><br />-Oct. 12, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing<br /><br />Clarity<br /><br />I think what you'll find,<br />I think what you'll find is,<br />Whatever it is we do substantively,<br />There will be near-perfect clarity<br /> As to what it is.<br /><br />And it will be known,<br />And it will be known to the Congress,<br />And it will be known to you,<br />Probably before we decide it,<br /> But it will be known.<br /><br />-Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing