"We do know of certain knowledge," Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld reported one day during the manhunt for al-qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in November 2001, "that he is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead."

["We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging," Rummy said on another occasion, "erm, I'm not sure I should have said that..."]