On Misspeaking -- Political Wire

On Misspeaking

Hendrik Hertzberg, writing in the New Yorker, has today's must-read piece.

"Along with its various derivatives, 'misspeak' has become one of the signature verbal workhorses of this interminable political season, right up there with 'narrative,' 'Day One,' and 'hope.' It carries the suggestion that, while the politician's perfectly functioning brain has dispatched the correct signals, the mouth has somehow received and transmitted them in altered form. 'Misspeak' is a powerful word, a magical word. It is a word that is apparently thought capable, in its contemporary political usage, of isolating a palpable, possibly toxic untruth, sealing it up in an airtight bag, and disposing of it harmlessly."

The piece is also a reminder that you need to get the latest edition of Safire's Political Dictionary, if you haven't already done so.

April 14, 2008

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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