Errol Morris, On Donald Rumsfeld's Inability to Separate Fact From Fantasy

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/22980-errol-morris-on-donald-rumsfelds-inability-to-separate-fact-from-fantasy

About midway through Errol Morris’s new film The Unknown Known, his feature-length conversation with former U.S. secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, Morris asks Rumsfeld point-blank how 9/11 was allowed to happen. “Isn’t it amazing?” Morris wonders, given the safeguards in place, the countermeasures and intelligence and defense mechanisms designed to protect us. Rumsfeld cracks his trademark smile—more of a smirk, really. You can tell he’s got this one covered. “Everything seems amazing in retrospect,” he says.

In his more than thirty-five years as a documentarian, Errol Morris has profiled a lot of delusional people: Holocaust deniers, unpunished murderers, serial killer obsessives. None are as oblivious to their own mistakes as Donald Rumsfeld proves to be in this film. The Unknown Known has been criticized in some quarters for going too easy on its subject, but the truth is that Morris simply takes a more subtle approach. He doesn’t ridicule or undermine Rumsfeld; he doesn’t resort to rhetorical shortcuts or attempt to trick him into the corner of a lie. He doesn’t need to. It’s an axiom of literary criticism that the most damning evidence is always direct quotation. Morris does just that: He hangs Rumsfeld with his own words.

We had the chance to catch up with Morris in the lead-up to The Unknown Known’s release this week to talk politics, language, and why some critics have misunderstood the film.

ESQUIRE.COM: Tell me about the Dunning-Kruger effect.

ERROL MORRIS: Well, I wrote about it for The New York Times—an essay called “The Anosognosic’s Dilemma.” [Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger] did research to ascertain this: If you’re really incompetent, are you so incompetent that you don’t know how incompetent you really are? In essence you’re protected from ever seeing, from ever knowing, the reality of who you are or what you do.

[Atman]

1. That last quote totally sums up Rummy!

'If you’re really incompetent, are you so incompetent that you don’t know how incompetent you really are? In essence you’re protected from ever seeing, from ever knowing, the reality of who you are or what you do.'

[tridim]

3. Rummy is crazy, the incompetence is just a bonus.

[rock]

4. To quote Eddy from "Christmas Vacation"

Bingo.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Rather amazing that all the Bush era "incompetents" managed to do so much damage.

You listen to Bush talk..you listen to Condi blather...you listen to rumsfeld...you listen to Douglas Feith, who was labeled the stupidest man on earth, and listen to Gonzalez,, a true blathering idiot, wayyyyy over his head.
and yet.....look what they did for 8 years.

but...then you listen to Cheney. Or rove...not the least bit clueless or incompetent, and obviously running the show.

They ALL know the reality of what they did.
stupidity, willful blindness, is not to be confused with not knowing what they did.
You can SEE the fear in their eyes as they are lying...watch the old news casts with Bush and Condi..esp. Condi..that tight quavering voice, that dancing with words that don't add up to a complete meaningful sentence.

Bullshit is not to be confused with incompetence.

[JHB]

15. That's my take too

These are the people whose take-away from Nixon's and Reagan's scandals was "Lie better. Stonewall everything. Give them nothing to go on."

[pangaia]

17. I agree.

But help me clear up what you say..
Are you saying that Rumsfeld, Rice, Bush, et al, were just too stupid to understand what they were doing..whereas those like Cheney and Rove new(Know) EXACTLY what they did?

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Rice, bush, Feith, and PNAC goons were puppets

who had some idea of what was going on, probably limited to their ability to act out their orders, and with a general idea of the current picture. I doubt they saw more than a general concept, of close to medium range planning.
they knew they were doing wrong, they knew they had to lie,and they ware deseprately hoping someone like Cheney would have their backs.
Bush was raised from a whelp by Poppy Bush, who I think was a lot smarter than Jr. he knew he was a puppet.
But the above guys were not clever enough to lie convincingly, not clever enough to remember allthe lies, so that when put on the spot, they did an awkward tap dance. and it showed, on tv, showed clearly.

I remember 2 things clearly about Bush...that curious microphone pack he had in the middle of his back, under his coat, when he was giving one of his rare unscripted short speeches..remember the WTF press coverage of that, early on?

And the fact his 911 testimony to Congress was only under the conditions of:
With Cheney,,he had to have Cheney there..isn't that telling?
NOT under oath
behind closed doors
the promise of NO written transcripts
everything had to be classified--EVERYTHING

Cheney on the other, never spoke in public without an agenda, and could look right in the camera and lie convincingly.
He was exceptionally experienced with WH and Gov't, having served as far back as 1969 ( under Rumsfeld, who was dir. of OEO back then)
He and Rumsfeld served in varying Gov. positions every since, always rising higher and higher.
Cheney's role in Halliburton and planning Iraq oil takeover is well documented by now.

Rove has been a political wonk since his high school days, and is very skilled and intelligent, does a great job of working behind the scenes. very dangerous to our side. We have no one like him.
He may or may not have been knocked out of the loop by the Romney disaster in 2012. time will tell.

those 2 guys, and to a lesser extent Rumsfeld ( a handy tool) require careful watching, and a healthy respect for their Machiavellian ways.

IMHO, of course.

[Atman]

25. Very well stated.

Pretty much nails it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

30. ty, kind person.. n/t

[pangaia]

28. Very, very clear.

And right on the $$, so to speak.

Thank you for taking the time..

[Enthusiast]

34. Well done.

[Major Nikon]

9. That's what Dunning-Kruger is

His incompetence robs him of the ability of realizing how incompetent he is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

[el_bryanto]

11. That describes a number of people actually

They get to a point in their lives where nobody can say "Hey that's a bad idea," or "Why don't you tighten it up." I usually think of it in regards to artists (Filmmakers and Musicians, mainly) who you wish would just get good editors who had teeth.

But most artists mistakes just waste your time. They don't actually kill people, unlike Rummys blindspots.

Bryant

[pangaia]

2. I heard Morris interviewed on NPR about a week or so ago..

Was it Diane Rhem, Susan Paige? I forget.
I have nor seen the film, but in this interview, "Morris does just that: He hangs Rumsfeld with his own words."
And he did use "Rumsfeld" and "sociopath" in the same sentence. He said something about Rummy being on e of the most frightening people he had ever interviewed.

[pscot]

7. Rumsfeld's book gives the same impression

He's incapable of self-doubt. Men like he and Cheney should never be allowed to hold power.

[pangaia]

16. How did you ever have the wherewithall to even read it?

[pscot]

18. I could not finish it

The experience was like handling snakes.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. I've got the book about Cheney wafting odorously on my shelf.

It's called Angler.
I do find it important to read about the creepy side, but I always felt I needed to wash my brain after reading about Nixon, Reagan, and now Cheney.

[pangaia]

27. You aughtta read SHRUB.

Molly Ivens' masterpiece....

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. I did, and still have it.

Yeah, her style is much mor bearable, isn't it?

[warrior1]

5. how did rumsfeld go through life without anyone

telling him he was wrong, wrong about everything?

When you are not shamed and tried for war crimes, well that will do it.

[Historic NY]

8. In other words Rummy believed his own BS..

"Not separating the known from the unknown. Separating truth from fantasy, and fact from belief. This is something that he was never, ever able to engage."

It was pretty telling in his talk with the National Guard soldiers on the ground about up-armored Hum-Vees-


DONALD RUMSFELD: As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.

You can have all the armor in the world on a tank, and a tank can be blown up. And you can have an up-armored Humvee, and it can be blown up.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military-july-dec04-armor_12-9/

He seemed so impressed with himself and his answer, the look on the soldiers faces was very telling, this guy is an asshole.

[4Q2u2]

14. On-Point

This one sticks in my mind and pisses me off to no end. Most Humvee's were not up-armored at that point, and the ones that were, were done in country by the troops. Rummie on the other hand did not "Go to War" with the Army he had, he brought in "His" special up Armored Vehicles flown in from the US. If the Humvee's were so great why not ride in them yourself?

Psst Mr. Rummy it is your job as the SecDef to make sure we have the Army that we want and need.

http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0314_sdr/qdr.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrennial_Defense_Review

[PoliticAverse]

32. There's always the danger you start to believe your own BS. n/t

[Skidmore]

10. Rumsfellives his life as the hero of

his personal movie script playing in his brain. When life deviates from his script, he just improvises. If a shot doesn't turn out well, he shrugs and blames the nearest prop person.

[L0oniX]

12. Maybe he has been using too much aspartame!

[JHB]

13. I think it's more collossal arrogance than collossal incompetence

Last edited Mon Apr 7, 2014, 02:51 PM - Edit history (1)

They knew what they were doing, they catapulted whatever bullshit was needed to shove opposition aside, they did it, and they don't think they did anything wrong.

That smirk wasn't due to Dunning-Kreuger, it was the self-satisfaction of someone who considers himself a superior being swatting aside a "gotcha" question from a lesser form of life. It's the smirk of "as long as I don't admit to it, you can't touch me." Of "who cares what you think."

Remember that comment from one of their underlings boasting about how "the reality based community" dithers with their 'analysis' while they boldly act to create a new reality. Remember Richard Pearle and that bit about "If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely and we don't try to piece together clever diplomacy, but just wage a total war...our children will sing songs about us years from now." These aren't the views of statesmen, they're the views of ubermenchen looking down on the untermenchen.

How is this different from what they've always done? Their entire MO has been "do and say whatever you want, and just brazen out any questions or opposition."

They are opportunistic psychopaths, and a vote for a Republican is a vote to let them take the US Military on another frat-boy joyride.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

19. Spot on.

Dumb like a Fox comes to mind.

Like the Bush family. More cunning than brains - The Mayberry Machiavellis

I once read Rumsfeld got to where he is because he "was good in a knife fight" - he could outmaneuver anyone in office politics.

"as long as I don't admit to it, you can't touch me." - That's really all they have left.

Their steadfast refusal to admit ANY fault is what gives them moral cover from their 23% dead-ender followers AND the media. If they let go of that they are done-for, and they know it. That's one of the main reasons nit wit GWB is hiding out in his bathtub painting pictures of his toes

[JHB]

20. My comment higher in the thread is appropriate here:

These are the people whose take-away from Nixon's and Reagan's scandals was "Lie better. Stonewall everything. Give them nothing to go on."

Combine that with a conviction that they're smarter and better than anyone else, and an absolute contempt for any other viewpoint, and you get every horror they were responsible for. And if they get their butts back in the driver's seat, they'll do more.

[uponit7771]

35. +1, Lie better

[mrdmk]

21. Being a bully and tenacious at the same time come up short on being a person

That is all these people have. It gets old very quickly...

It is obvious that they are very worried about their own history and not the history of the United States as a whole...

[RainDog]

23. Rumsfeld should be charged with crimes against humanity

as should Cheney, Yoo, Jr. and a few more.

The Bush Jr. years are a shame for this nation and their actions should be punished to the highest degree possible.

The Bush Jr. era made the think American politics is irrevocably broken. Obama gave me hope this was not the case when he talked about upholding the constitution.

But the powers-that-be in DC, no matter who is in office make me think my hope was more than a little naive.

[lovemydog]

26. Look forward to seeing the movie

I love Errol Morris' documentaries.

Rumsfeld fascinates me, in particular why so many were unable or unwilling to see through his nonsense.

[pacalo]

33. Kick.