Clinton-speak, Redux

There is a word-ly and delicious, if not wholly unexpected, aftermath of two Washington insiders removing themselves from consideration for positions in the Obama administration. Our young president wants to send the message that there aren't two sets of rules for those Americans who dwell inside the beltway and those who don't know where the beltway is. The young president's choice of words to communicate that message is "interesting," to say the very least.

One source, Charles Babington of the Associated Press, quotes the young president as desiring not to suggest differing standards for "prominent people" and "ordinary folks." (BTW -- Mr. Babington is identified in his by-line as simply a "writer," but I would characterize his article as op-ed. Maybe journalism school ethics classes distinguish between "reporting" and "writing" these days, and "writers" are ethically permitted to slant their stories.) But, I've also seen the young president quoted on at least one blog (http://www.southerngirl30.blogspot.com/) classifying Americans as "powerful people" and "ordinary folks." The word "powerful" isn't nearly as condescending as "prominent" and, therefore, not as offensive to us "ordinary" ignorant yahoos who live in fly-over country. I wonder who got whom to spin the word ever so slightly. Ah, what the future holds for wordsmithing! Bye-bye "misunderestimated" -- I smell the entertaining ol' days of Clinton-speak!


Now, birdwalking just a bit, insofar as the most recent iteration of "economic stimulus legislation" goes, I would like to see more discussion -- or revelation -- of the certainty that this new "assistance to the unemployed and struggling families," once enacted, will never go away. You can't take the raw chicken away from the alligator once he begins munching on it. And, is anyone else "troubled" by the term "Troubled Asset Relief Program?" Troubled Asset?! How about "tortured acronym?" Talk about wordsmithing.