Y'know what that sounds like?

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Post #278,188

3/13/07 10:18:23 PM

Y'know what that sounds like?

It sounds like any ability to say "I made a mistake" has been carefully leached out of him. Such people need some lessons in responsibility.

Wade.

Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please

-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.

· my ·
· [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] ·
· [link|http://yceran.org/|website] ·

Post #278,204

3/14/07 3:20:20 AM

Nah, I don't think that was quite DrooK's point.

Even a direct statement of "I made a mistake" is still just a statement of fact, not an apology. An apology would be, "I made a mistake AND I APOLOGIZE", or "I made a mistake AND I AM SORRY".

THAT is the bit that has either "been carefully leached out of" these guys -- or maybe they never acquired it in the first place.

(This may go to the very bottom of who -- what -- they are.)

[link|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode|Christian R. Conrad]
(I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.)

Ah, the Germans: Masters of Convoluted Simplification. — [link|http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1603|Jehovah]

Post #278,214

by Another Scott

3/14/07 7:56:03 AM

"The past exonerative"

[link|http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/washington/14mistakes.html|NY Times]:

WASHINGTON, March 13 \ufffd Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales fell back on a classic Washington linguistic construct on Tuesday when he acknowledged that \ufffdmistakes were made\ufffd in the dismissals of eight federal prosecutors last year.

The phrase sounds like a confession of error or even contrition, but in fact, it is not quite either one. The speaker is not accepting personal responsibility or pointing the finger at anyone else.

[...]

The nonconfessions inspired William Schneider, a political guru here, to note a few years ago that Washington had contributed a new tense to the language. \ufffdThis usage,\ufffd he said, \ufffdshould be referred to as the past exonerative.\ufffd

It's worse in Gonzales's case because [link|http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031301515.html|he's trying to have it both ways]:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced the cameras for all of nine minutes yesterday, but he managed to contradict himself at least four times as he fought off calls to resign over the firing of U.S. attorneys.

"Mistakes were made," he said in fluent scandalese, but "I think it was the right decision."
\t
"I am responsible for what happens at the Department of Justice," he posited, but "I . . . was not involved in any discussions about what was going on."

"Kyle Sampson" -- Gonzales's chief of staff -- "has resigned," he said, but "he is still at the department."

And, finally, "I believe in the independence of our U.S. attorneys," Gonzales maintained, but "all political appointees can be removed . . . for any reason."

Gonzales should go.

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #278,292

3/14/07 10:30:48 PM

3/14/07 10:34:19 PM

[dup]

Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please

-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.

· my ·
· [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] ·
· [link|http://yceran.org/|website] ·

Edited by static March 14, 2007, 10:34:19 PM EDT

Expand All History

Post #278,293

3/14/07 10:33:50 PM

Fine distinction, there.

But a valid one.

I was going after their inability to say "It was me..." which is a first level of responsibility, but to own the problem requires remorse and contrition ("... and I'm sorry."), although that can also mean "I'm sorry that you found it" rather than "I'm sorry that I thought I should do it".

Wade.

Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please

-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.

· my ·
· [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] ·
· [link|http://yceran.org/|website] ·

US Attorneys being fired? - (static) - (36) - March 13, 2007, 08:37:43 AM EDT

Seems to be holding up - (JayMehaffey) - (10) - March 13, 2007, 08:55:30 AM EDT

Josh Marshall has been on this for a while now. - (Silverlock) - (2) - March 13, 2007, 11:20:52 AM EDT

In today's dead-tree Milw. Journal-Sentinel - (jb4) - March 13, 2007, 05:59:31 PM EDT

A decent apology to Josh from Time's DC bureau chief - (rcareaga) - March 13, 2007, 08:50:34 PM EDT

new insight into the issue - (boxley) - (3) - March 13, 2007, 01:40:28 PM EDT

I don't think it's happend this late in a term before... - (Another Scott) - (1) - March 13, 2007, 01:53:42 PM EDT

Along with the fact - (lincoln) - March 14, 2007, 03:59:32 PM EDT

This is different - they were threatened - (tuberculosis) - March 13, 2007, 05:20:09 PM EDT

There's something I can't help thinking. - (static) - (2) - March 13, 2007, 10:22:24 PM EDT

Re: There's something I can't help thinking. - (JayMehaffey) - March 13, 2007, 10:33:33 PM EDT

The press is no longer fully complicit - (tuberculosis) - March 14, 2007, 12:50:39 AM EDT

Washington Post blog series about Gonzales. Part 1 of 4. - (Another Scott) - (6) - March 13, 2007, 07:35:05 PM EDT

Same as the former CO at Walter Reed - (drewk) - (5) - March 13, 2007, 07:40:20 PM EDT

Y'know what that sounds like? - (static) - (4) - March 13, 2007, 10:18:23 PM EDT

Nah, I don't think that was quite DrooK's point. - (CRConrad) - (3) - March 14, 2007, 03:20:20 AM EDT

"The past exonerative" - (Another Scott) - March 14, 2007, 07:56:03 AM EDT

[dup] -NT - (static) - March 14, 2007, 10:34:19 PM EDT

Fine distinction, there. - (static) - March 14, 2007, 10:33:50 PM EDT

DOJ plan to appoint replacements without Sen. confirmation - (Another Scott) - (1) - March 13, 2007, 11:38:45 PM EDT

Once again, it's the imperial presidency and un-American! -NT - (a6l6e6x) - March 14, 2007, 05:15:34 PM EDT

This is all pretty darned funny - (bepatient) - (15) - March 14, 2007, 08:40:48 PM EDT

Stay tuned. Well that didn't take long. Perjury, anyone? - (Another Scott) - (3) - March 14, 2007, 10:22:50 PM EDT

So they should have replaced all 93 for the 2nd term - (bepatient) - (2) - March 14, 2007, 10:36:15 PM EDT

No. - (Another Scott) - (1) - March 14, 2007, 10:47:05 PM EDT

Impeach him then. - (bepatient) - March 15, 2007, 08:08:38 AM EDT

Clinton replaced them all at the BEGINNING of his first term - (CRConrad) - (2) - March 14, 2007, 10:15:24 PM EDT

I guess everyone else read the archives, too -NT - (drewk) - (1) - March 14, 2007, 10:22:19 PM EDT

Im at August 14 last year. I'll catch up, then go to bed :-) -NT - (CRConrad) - March 14, 2007, 10:29:25 PM EDT

You missed my point. - (static) - March 14, 2007, 10:37:31 PM EDT

The inane "Clinton did it too" defense - (lincoln) - (4) - March 15, 2007, 04:51:29 PM EDT

the height of intellectual dishonesty == Repo.SOP() - (jb4) - (3) - March 15, 2007, 05:15:23 PM EDT

Yeah. What I don't get... - (CRConrad) - (2) - March 15, 2007, 05:23:10 PM EDT

My take (FWIW) - (jb4) - (1) - March 15, 2007, 05:38:57 PM EDT

It isn't really worth that much. - (bepatient) - March 15, 2007, 06:03:52 PM EDT

Justice Dept. Would Have Kept 'Loyal' Prosecutors - (lincoln) - (1) - March 16, 2007, 03:15:27 PM EDT

#278282. :-) - (Another Scott) - March 16, 2007, 03:39:44 PM EDT

Any movie with Tim Curry as The Lord of Darkness can't be all bad.
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