Hold Still. This Is Good for You.
Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 10:34AM 
Quote: “Surgical strikes? Nothing is surgical about military operations. They tend to have impacts, effects.” A “senior counterterrorism official” in the Washington Post.
Figure of Speech: horismus, the clear definition. From the Greek, meaning “definition.”
A classified report compiled by all 16 federal intelligence agencies and leaked to the press asserts that the war in Iraq is making us less safe from terrorism — not more safe, as the president contends. The anonymous Post source explains the reason with a horismus, a pithy definition that explains the distinction between terms.
Definition is one of the most powerful persuasive tools. Get your audience to believe your interpretation of the terms, and you have won half the rhetorical battle. Today’s quotation is a perfect example. If operations in Iraq are “surgical,” then it’s possible to kill the bad guys and bring freedom to the Middle East. But if you define military operations as messy, with unintended political affects, then killing the enemy will only create more enemies.
The White House will undoubtedly take the news seriously. Having failed to find Bin Laden, Bush’s men will begin a zealous hunt for the report’s leaker.
Snappy Answer: “So they’re cruel and bloody and create resentment throughout the population? That makes them more like an election.”
Reader Comments (23)
Yes, my exclamation points. They're everywhere. Stretch a little further and you could say I use too many "e's". Two.
Your reading comprehension still needs work. I said your invective was insulting, not I was insulted by it. I was speaking about how you posted. Besides, insults over a board post make you happy? Wow. An evolved man you must surely be. Strike three called. Did I see you in Detroit this weekend?
I'm done with you. Keep making a fool of yourself on your own.
But kudos on the baseball metaphor. You're finally getting it, and I'm so very tempted to use an exclamation point here.