Tuesday, August 24, 2004
The power of one missing word
I'm sure they don't do it on purpose:
|
"US President George W Bush has praised the military record of his election rival, John Kerry, and called a halt to unofficial negative advertising."The President called for a halt on negative advertising. To write that he "called a halt" implies that negative advertising campaign was under his control and therefore it was in his power to stop it - that is, it implies the truth of the subsequent paragraph in the story:
"Mr Kerry's campaign team has alleged Mr Bush backed ads by Republican-leaning Vietnam veterans which questioned Mr Kerry's record for bravery in the war."And the Dems go on to show some class in response. Not:
"The Democrats have described Mr Bush's remarks as 'too little, too late'. 'The moment of truth came and went, and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing,' John Edwards, Mr Kerry's running-mate, said."In the memorable words of Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee:
"I look forward to that debate when John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guard... George Bush never served in our military in our country. He didn't show up when he should have showed up. And there's John Kerry on the stage with a chest full of medals that he earned by saving the lives of American soldiers. So, as John Kerry says, 'Bring it on!' "Still waiting for that apology, Terry. If the Republicans are "too little, too late", the Dems take the cake for "still nothing, even later."
|
