The Little Prick of Slow Bleed
Two weeks ago, newly formed bastion of Republican friendly reportage, The Politico, revealed in an article plans by Rep. Jack Murtha to tie Iraq war funds to troop readiness. The article attributed the phrase 'slow bleed' as how Democrats were describing the plan. And although it turned out to be a complete fallacy, the GOP nonetheless seized on the phrase, using it repeatedly during the legislature's recent debating of the war.
Now John Harris, chief editor of The Politico, has outed himself as the source of the odious terminology. In a sort of mea culpa confession, Harris expresses regret that he handed Murtha's opponents "ammunition in the form of evocative but loaded language." While I applaud Mr. Harris' efforts clear the air and his conscience, his apology is hollowed by his lame excuse of wanting to make the reporting of the plan "a little snappier".
Harris says that his intention when he started The Politico was "to make the work of political journalists more transparent". If he had taken this advice to heart, reported the facts at hand and refrained from making things "a little snappier", he might have been more than just another prick in our already pockmarked discourse.
More at Meme.
Now John Harris, chief editor of The Politico, has outed himself as the source of the odious terminology. In a sort of mea culpa confession, Harris expresses regret that he handed Murtha's opponents "ammunition in the form of evocative but loaded language." While I applaud Mr. Harris' efforts clear the air and his conscience, his apology is hollowed by his lame excuse of wanting to make the reporting of the plan "a little snappier".
Harris says that his intention when he started The Politico was "to make the work of political journalists more transparent". If he had taken this advice to heart, reported the facts at hand and refrained from making things "a little snappier", he might have been more than just another prick in our already pockmarked discourse.
More at Meme.
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