A cheap shot

On the one hand, this post strikes me as utterly unfair, since it, quite literally, removes all sense and context from the President's speech in order to make a point. On the other hand (was it LBJ who begged for a one-handed economist?), political language matters, words matter, and rhetoric is now and ever has been a powerful tool of political persuasion and manipulation, as we'll discuss at length later in the semester. What do others make of this? Do we have a third or fourth hand to add to the mix?

Here is a condensation of President Bush’s speech yesterday, omitting all the extraneous parts:

. . . . al Qaeda . . . terrorist allies . . . September the 11th, 2001. . . . global war . . . threatens . . . . terrorists. . . .

September the 11th, 2001 . . . terrorist attacks. . . . World Trade Center. . . towers collapse . . . . Pentagon. . . . . hijacked plane. . . . terrorists . . . . Osama bin Laden. . . . massacre . . . .

al Qaeda . . . . terrorists . . . . killed . . . . attacks of September the 11th . . . . passenger planes.

. . . . nation was attacked. . . . terrorist danger . . . . nation at war . . . . terrorist sanctuaries . . . . terrorist cells in America . . . . new attacks . . . . terrorists . . . .

. . . . five years . . . nation was attacked . . . . enemy documents . . . . terrorists . . . . enemies. . . .

. . . .terrorists . . . offensive . . . . threat . . . . violent Islamic radicalism . . . terrorists . . . battlefield . . . .

. . . .terrorists . . . September the 11th, 2001 . . . . kill . . . . evil. . . . al Qaeda terrorists . . . .violent . . . extremists. . . . radical . . . Islam . . . crushes . . . murder . . . . violent . . . . Middle East . . . . “Caliphate” . . . . Osama bin Laden . . . 9/11 attacks . . . . Muslims … [Caliphate].”

. . . .caliphate . . . totalitarian Islamic . . . Muslim . . . . al Qaeda . . . . Zawahiri . . . al Qaeda’s . . . al Qaeda . . . Islam . . . Iraq.

. . . . Taliban and al Qaeda . . . totalitarian . . . beaten. . . . Summary executions . . . . Muslim. . . .

. . . . Sunni extremists . . . Muslim . . . extremists . . . . Muslims . . . Islam. . . . . Osama bin Laden . . . .

. . . . freedom. . . . . enemy . . . terrorist . . . . terrorist . . . al Qaeda . . . . Allah. . . . . terrorist . . . al Qaeda . . . . Killing. . . . assassination, bombing, and destruction. . . .

. . . . al Qaeda . . . Muslim . . . terrorist enclaves. . . totalitarian . . . . al Qaeda . . . Iraq . . . Iraq . . . Anbar Province . . . . al Qaeda . . . “Execution Unit” . . . Murder, and Destruction.

. . . . Middle East . . . . al Qaeda . . . . totalitarian Islamic . . . destroy . . . .

. . . . violent extremists . . . . al Qaeda . . . terror . . . . terrorize . . . .

Bin Laden . . . . 9/11 . . . . 9/11 . . . Osama bin Laden . . . al Qaeda . . . . al Qaeda . . . . Bin Laden . . . .

. . . . propaganda . . . . Osama bin Laden . . . . Taliban . . . Mullah Omar, . . . . bin Laden . . . al Qaeda media. . . . media. . . bin Laden . . . . Bin Laden . . . al Qaeda. . . .

Bin Laden . . . . Osama bin Laden . . . . terrorist Zawahiri

. . . . terrorists . . . . Iraq . . . bin Laden . . . “capital of the Caliphate.” . . . bin Laden … Islamic. . . . [Iraq] . . . . Islam . . . . al Qaeda, Iraq . . . .

. . . . al Qaeda . . . Iraq. . . terrorist Zawahiri . . . al Qaeda . . . Iraq. . . . Islamic . . . amirate . . . . Caliphate… jihad . . . . Iraq.

. . . . evil . . . . Iraq . . . . Iraqi . . . totalitarian . . . Iraq . . . Iraqi people. (Applause.)

. . . . terrorist Zarqawi . . . . Iraqi . . . . Iraqis . . . Iraq . . . al Qaeda . . . .

. . . . Iraq . . . . bin Laden. . . . war . . . .

. . . . terrorists’ . . . . evil . . . . communist . . . Lenin. . . . Soviet Empire . . . killed . . . thermonuclear war. . . . failed Austrian painter . . . . Aryan super-state . . . Germany . . . eradicate . . . Jews. . . . Hitler . . . . Nazi . . . . gas chambers. . . world aflame . . . .

Bin Laden . . .terrorist . . . Lenin . . . Hitler . . . . evil . . . .

Five years . . . . Al Qaeda . . . . al Qaeda . . . . al Qaeda . . . dangerous . . . . Bin Laden and Zawahiri . . . . Al Qaeda . . . . al Qaeda. . . Internet . . . terrorists. Al Qaeda . . . . suicide bombers. . . . terrorist attacks . . . .

. . . . al Qaeda . . . terrorist . . . . threats . . . terrorist cells . . . al Qaeda . . . . al Qaeda . . . . terrorists . . . . radical Islamists . . . .cells . . . . attacks . . . .

. . . . al Qaeda . . . . Sunni extremists . . . . Shia extremists . . . . al Qaeda. . . . Sunnis . . . Shia . . . . Iraq . . . Shia . . . terrorist . . . . Shia extremists . . . . Shia . . . Islamic radicalism . . . . Shia extremists . . . . al Qaeda . . . . Iran. . . .

. . . . al Qaeda . . . Sunni extremists . . . Iranian . . . .destroy Israel . . . . Hezbollah . . . . attack Israel . . . . terrorist . . . al Qaeda. . . . alQaeda. . . . murder . . . . Hezbollah . . . . bombing. . . . Saudi Hezbollah . . . . Khobar Towers . . . . attack . . . terrorists. . . .Iranian officials.

. . . . Sunni extremists . . . Shia extremists . . . . Hezbollah . . . terrorist Nasrallah . . . . 11 September, “Death to America . . . Death to America.”

Iran . . .Hezbollah. . . . Iran’s President . . . . Iran’s President . . . annihilation. . . . anger . . . Muslims . . . explosion . . . . Iranian . . . Iranian . . . .Iranian . . . .

. . . . Iranian . . . terrorist . . . kill Americans . . . Iranian . . . nuclear weapons. . . . Iran’s regime . . . mass murder. . . . Iran . . . . Iran . . . . Iranian . . . . Iranian . . . . Iran . . . .Iran . . . a nuclear weapon.

. . . .Shia and Sunni extremists . . . threat. . . . violent Islamic . . . Middle East. . . . weapons of mass destruction. . . . . Iraq . . . . violent Islamic . . . . terrorist . . . .

. . . .oil . . . oil resources . . . . weapons of mass murder. . . . nuclear weapons, . . . mortal threat to . . . Iraq , if. . . .

. . . . “National Strategy for Combating Terrorism” . . . .September the 11th. . . .

. . . combating terrorism. . . .

. . . . terrorist attacks . . . . 9/11 . . . al Qaeda. . . terrorists . . . . terrorists . . . new attacks.

. . . . the enemy here at home. . . . Patriot Act . . . .Terrorist Surveillance Program . . . monitor . . . communications . . . al Qaeda . . . .terrorist operatives within our borders. . . . al Qaeda. . . .attacks.

. . . . terrorist cells . . . terrorist operatives and supporters . . . New York . . . Oregon . . . New Jersey. . . Illinois . . . terrorists and their supporters. . . al Qaeda. . . .

. . . weapons of mass destruction . . . terrorists . . . . dangerous nuclear trading cartel . . . .Iran . . .Libya . . . North Korea . . . nuclear weapons. . . . . weapons of mass . . . . terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction . . . .

. . . . terrorists . . . . September the 11th. . . terror . . . . terror. . . .September the 11th, 2001. Afghanistan and Iraq . . . . terrorist states . . . . war on terror . . . . weapons of mass destruction. . . nuclear materials . . . . terrorist states . . . terrorist networks. . . . .terror . . . . (Applause.)

. . . .terrorist . . . Iraqi government . . . terrorists . . . taking control of Iraq. . . attack America . . . terrorists . . . .

. . . .terrorists new recruits. . . .freedom across the Middle East. . . .Middle East . . . .freedom . . . terrorists . . . willing recruits. . . . September the 11th . . .terrorists. . .death and destruction . . . .

. . . . September the 11th . . . . Middle East . . . . freedom and liberty and democracy . . . .Middle East. . . . Muslim . . . .al Qaeda . . . Taliban . . . .Iraq . . . defeat the enemies of freedom . . . . Iraq. . . . Iraq . . . Middle East . . . .

. . . the last five years . . . . terrorists . . . .Muslims. . . Muslim . . . .

. . . . terrorists . . . . conquer tyranny and terror . . . . Nazi Germany. . . . Soviet communism . . . .

. . . forces of darkness and tyranny. . . . Middle East. . . .

. . . .Middle East . . . . Middle East . . . .

. . . .extremism. . . . Middle East . . . .

It’s basically a ceaseless repetition of “Iraq,” “al Qaeda,” “terrorist,” “Iran,” “Islam,” “Osama bin Laden,” and especially “September the 11th,” with a few “freedoms” and a couple of “Hitlers” and “Lenins” thrown in.