On the Iraq Memo Donald Rumsfeld Wrote as He Was About to Be Fired

deadline poet

By Calvin Trillin

This article appeared in the December 25, 2006 edition of The Nation.

December 7, 2006

So who among us ever could have known
That Rumsfeld, who in public's always shown
Such confidence that triumph was for sure,
Could, in his private heart of hearts, abjure
This policy with which he'd been entrusted
And say it'd busted and must be adjusted?
And who among us ever could have dreamt
That notions Rumsfeld treated with contempt--
Like pulling back our troops to, say, Kuwait,v A plan he called unworthy of debate--
Would be among the options he'd present
To George Bush in this memo that he sent?
And who among us possibly can tell
If this man who tried desperately to sell
This war was simply faking all these years
Or now is faking so that it appears
He wasn't such a zealot after all
And shouldn't be the one to take the fall?
There isn't any way of knowing,
But either way we're glad he's going.

Subscriber Login

4 ISSUES FREE

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

.

About Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation's "deadline poet." He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1963 and has written the syndicated weekly column "Uncivil Liberties" since 1986. He has authored many, many books, including Tepper's Not Going Out and Deadline Poet: My Life as a Doggerelist. more...
Most Read

Issues »

Most Emailed

Issues »

Popular Topics

Blogs

» The Dreyfuss Report

Obama's Gaffe on India | He ought to be urging India to talk to Pakistan, not cross the border to "catch" the bad guys.
Robert Dreyfuss

» Editor's Cut

Bread, Bombs, and the Big Stimulus | We need a smart and focused inside-outside strategy to revive our frayed social compact -- now more critical than ever.
Katrina vanden Heuvel

» The Beat

Grijalva for Interior Secretary | Obama's considering an outstanding prospect for an important position.
John Nichols

» State of Change

Disappointment in Georgia | Palin's pick, Saxby Chambliss, wins the last Senate election of 2008.
John Nichols

» And Another Thing

Can you help "Nickie"? | Bringing the abortion debate down to earth
Katha Pollitt

» The Notion

DC to Delhi: Only Our Missiles -- Not Yours | What is Rice going to say to India: only DC not Delhi is allowed to bomb Pakistan?
Laura Flanders

» Act Now!

World AIDS Day | How to help in the fight against the AIDS pandemic.
Peter Rothberg

» Passing Through

Forget GM's Plan -- Where's The Government's Plan? | Create a demand for green cars.
Jane Hamsher

» Capitolism

Is Personnel Policy? | How much do personnel choices reflect the Obama administration's policy direction
Christopher Hayes