A Way With Words

I can think of few people who would disagree that bin Laden is on the run if he's on the run. James Carville has popped into mind.

I could imagine a James Carville arguing that bin Laden is not on the run,  even when he is running, or that he might not  be running when he's on the run, proving Bush to be grossly wrong and inferior to his predecessor who better grasps the abstract semantic that someone could be running while not running, or not lying by lying or be logical by being illogical.

These are all "ways with words".

Bush of course meant to say "He's on the run" (pausing) "if he's still breathing".

During normal times (when no bin Laden is on the run) Bush's seeming misstatement might be a good subject for "spin" -- a serious gaffe of high order about as dastardly as mangling the spelling of the word p-o-t-a-t-o-e-s.  That's what spin is; making something seem like something it isn't, speaking of which I had the good fortune recently of hearing CNN News Network celebrity and spinmeister Bill Press debate Bill O'Reily on his Fox News program.

The "No Spin Zone" is poppycock, said Press, but rather is "all spin", and offered a few examples which O'Reily pleaded were "teasers".  Press insisted that everybody spins; he does, I do, we do, they do, but this might just be the world as viewed by the professional spin-meister, not the wisdom to be found in a Ben Franklin's Almanac.

Spin is the taking of some facts or opinions and spinning them and spinning them and keeping them spinning in hope that some other facts or opinions won't be noticed at all.  Spin is making something into something it is not.  Spin is about winning a debate with an inferior argument.

Spin is spin. Fact is fact.  As of 12/28/01 bin Laden is running if he's still breathing.  He's in a "No Spin Zone".

 

--Editor, Berkeley Designing Company 12/28/01