I very rarely copy and paste from other articles, but this postmortem was just too good to not share:
Feb. 12, 2002
"As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns - that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know."
Jan. 9, 2002
"I'm not into this detail stuff. I'm more concepty." In an interview with the Washington Post.
Feb. 7, 2003
"It is unknowable how long [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."
Feb. 28, 2003
"Needless to say, the President is correct. Whatever it was he said."
Dec. 27, 2001
"We do know of certain knowledge that [Osama bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead. And we know of certain knowledge that we don't know which of those happens to be the case."
Jan. 4, 2002
"Well, you know, something's neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so, I suppose, as Shakespeare said."
Oct. 3, 2006
"That's all you guys do is read these books. You ought to get a life." To reporters during a press briefing.
July 23, 2003
"If a person is determined to fight to the death, then they may very well have that opportunity."
Jan. 29, 2001
"Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance." In a Wall Street Journal article he wrote entitled "Rumsfeld's Rules."
Aug. 3, 2006
"I have never painted a rosy picture. I have been very measured in my words, and you� have a dickens of a time trying to find instances where I have been excessively optimistic. I understand this is tough stuff." At Senate hearings, in an exchange with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
July 24, 2003
"I don't do quagmires."
Dec. 8, 2004
"As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Apr. 3, 2003
"I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past. I think the past was not predictable when it started."
The February 28th, 2003 was my favorite.