George Stephanapoulis at ABC's This Week has an unenviable task: getting people in our political leadership to simply answer simple questions in a direct manner.
He himself is a master of the double-speak-spin-till-you-drop school of linguistic obfuscation, as Bill Clinton's former press secretary. Bill and Hilary operated by rendering the English language meaningless, wearing down friend and foe alike with a flood of sound that sounded sort of like English, but really meant inherently nothing.
Bill's classic line sums up his life: 'It depends on what your meaning of 'is' is.'
It will be counted a tragedy of our culture that he was allowed to get away with it, allowed to finish out his term, allowed to deconstruct the only thing we have to communicate ideas--language.
Tim Geithner learned the lessons of Bill Clinton well.
As you read the transcript of today's interview, notice how the Secretary begins to chatter verbiage at every juncture where a simple question is asked.
Questions like: Doesn't this mean a tax increase? Can you assure those Republicans that make the attempt to work with you that you won't betray them in the end?
At every juncture, every simple question is answered with a torrent of verbiage, that once read, really means very little. Secretary Geithner is attempting to run out the clock, while sounding erudite.
Meanwhile, back in the land of reality: An acquaintance needs to fill a secretarial position in a small academic department in a small college in a small town. 150 resumes to pore through. Another has a newspaper staff position to fill. 250 resumes, many with master's degrees, and more arriving every day.
For these people, words have meaning, even if they don't for the Treasury Secretary.
They live in the world he and his created for us...
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