The Strategic Comma

[antiaristo]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="font-size:small;">Apocalyptic president</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br><br>Even some Republicans are now horrified by the influence Bush has given to the evangelical right <br><br>Sidney Blumenthal<br>Thursday March 23, 2006<br>The Guardian <br><br><br>In his latest PR offensive President Bush came to Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday to answer the paramount question on Iraq that he said was on people's minds: "They wonder what I see that they don't." After mentioning "terror" 54 times and "victory" five, dismissing "civil war" twice and asserting that he is "optimistic", he called on a citizen in the audience, who homed in on the invisible meaning of recent events in the light of two books, American Theocracy, by Kevin Phillips, and the book of Revelation. Phillips, the questioner explained, "makes the point that members of your administration have reached out to prophetic Christians who see the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism as signs of the apocalypse. Do you believe this? And if not, why not?"<br><br>Bush's immediate response, as transcribed by CNN, was: "Hmmm." Then he said: "The answer is I haven't really thought of it that way. Here's how I think of it. First, I've heard of that, by the way." <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The official White House website transcript drops the strategic comma, and so changes the meaning to: "First I've heard of that, by the way</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->."<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Rest of the story here<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1737214,00.html">www.guardian.co.uk/commen...14,00.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

Interesting. I don't remember how this came off in the video that I saw, so I'll have to dig it up to hear it again. I vaguely remember that question getting a laugh from the audience though, and that's disturbing considering how serious the religious zealots are about this. <p></p><i></i>

[antiaristo]

thoughographer,<br>Yes, please do that.<br>There seems to be a dissent about which party made the error.<br><br>I'd like to know the truth, one way or the other. <p></p><i></i>

[professorpan]

I heard it on NPR. <br><br>Bush clearly said "First I've heard of that, by the way."<br><br>No comma.<br><br>He was obviously lying -- he's fully aware of the fundie Christian "end times" teachings. I'm unsure about how much of it he believes -- I think the Bush cultists are opportunists, for the most part, although some of their members and many of their deluded followers undoubtedly believe that a war in the Mideast will bring Jesus back to Earth to rule the Kingdom.<br><br>I think CNN f'd up. Just a guess -- we can't know for sure. But it's easy to make an error in transcription -- ever watch closed captioning on TV? <p></p><i></i>

[StarmanSkye]

I'd tend to think CNN transcribed the quote incorrectly. Did the Prez (sic) follow up his 'first' with, 'secondly' or a 'then'?<br><br>The Prez (sic) could have expounded on this since it's evidently NOT the first he's heard of it -- after all, the 'End Times' is pretty standard Dominionist dogma, isn't it? Anything to facilitate a major widespread Middle East conflagration will, according to the religio zealots, help usher in Armageddon and compel Jesus's Divine intervention. Numerous commentators have deciphered the apparent embedded Fundie code Bush uses in his speeches to keep the Dominionists in his base inspired.<br><br>It's hard to imagine anything that could mock God any worse or be more spiritually-egregious -- and thus there's probably no greater blasphemy than creating a war in order to provoke God's appearance, this according to the teachings which extremist pro-war Fundies themselves profess to believe.<br><br>Some mighty delusional thinking there. I think Bush is playing the so-called moral majority who believe this tripe -- I really doubt he personally believes it as anything but a myth he can exploit to deflect challenges of his abuse of authority. Apparently there ARE quite a few people who think Bush sits at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.<br><br><roll eyes><br>Starman <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

Yeah, I think that about sums up my feelings.<br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.mormon/browse_thread/thread/499adf3af70c8d16/9d5dde979c275a33">Anyway...</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[professorpan]

I had a conversation with Mark Crispin Miller about this issue. He's pretty convinced that Bush and many members of his cult really do believe in the apocalyptic crap, and his arguments are hard to refute. <br><br>I guess it's my gut instinct, and nothing more, that makes me believe that they don't believe the nonsense, but use the beliefs of others opportunistically. Having a large portion of US population who are convinced that U.S. domination and nuclear war in the Mideast is a prerequisite for Jesus's return is awfully convenient for them. <br><br>I do find it very curious that he blatantly denied any familiarity with dominionist/apocalyptic Christian dogma. Reagan was quite upfront about his lunatic beliefs. <p></p><i></i>

[NewKid]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I had a conversation with Mark Crispin Miller about this issue. He's pretty convinced that Bush and many members of his cult really do believe in the apocalyptic crap, and his arguments are hard to refute. <br><br>I guess it's my gut instinct, and nothing more, that makes me believe that they don't believe the nonsense, but use the beliefs of others opportunistically. Having a large portion of US population who are convinced that U.S. domination and nuclear war in the Mideast is a prerequisite for Jesus's return is awfully convenient for them. <br><br>I do find it very curious that he blatantly denied any familiarity with dominionist/apocalyptic Christian dogma. Reagan was quite upfront about his lunatic beliefs. <hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br><br>I would tend to think they wouldn't really believe it either. But I think the real question is how you define "they." Bush personally I have no problem seeing him believe it, and even some of his staff like Gerson. But Rove and most of the top people, I rather doubt it. <p></p><i></i>

[mother]

Kind of impossible to know the truth of the strategic comma, and for me to guage the extent of Bush's religious education. But if I had to guess, I'd say that he is untruthful almost all of the time, has no care for the truth. As for saying he's a Christian, he may believe he is one because he said so. I can't imagine him taking the trouble to study the Bible, although I can easily imagine him being tutored by self-deceived fanatics fueling the insane blood-lust the bushies have. Anything to aid bush, who loves to call himself "the Wartime President". I still think that anyone who believes that bush is actually a Christian is very mistaken. I even think his Texas accent is phoney. Although I can believe that Mark Crispin Miller is correct. The Apocalypse would be the most fun part of Sacred Scripture for psychopaths to take out of context. <p></p><i></i>