from a speech by Bush today:

"Before any action is taken, Mr. Bush said, "I will promise you that I will be patient and deliberate, that we will continue to consult with Congress and, of course, we'll consult with our friends and allies."

In this particular case, who exactly is a friend and not and ally? Maybe he's saying "friends and allies". So every friend is also and ally and every ally is a friend. So is Saudi Arabia a friend? Pakistan? Anybody that pledges "friendship"?

Wouldn't it be nice if speechwriters would stop beating language to death in the hopes of sounding grandiose and intimidating?

Categories: personal
Posted by diego on August 7 2002 at 11:29 PM