A couple of weeks ago Viewpoint noted that the Democrats have substantially revised the political lexicon and offered a few examples. Today we offer our readers a review and an update.
The Review:Lie: Anything that turns out not to be true or might not be true, or which has not yet been proven to be true. Note that it is only a lie when a Republican, especially the president, says something which satisfies these criteria. When a Democrat does it, it's interpretive spin or personal narrative, or if, say, a meteorologist is wrong about a weather forecast that would be an honest mistake resulting from inadequate data.
Censorship: Any instance of someone expressing any manner of disagreement with what a liberal says. E.g. If people refuse to buy Dixie Chick CDs, that's censorship. If, on the other hand, a conservative speaker gets shouted down on a college campus that's a sign of a healthy exercise of first amendment rights.
Leadership: Securing permission from the French, no matter how much groveling it may take to get it, to defend ourselves from those who are determined to kill us.
Political Mainstream: Any current of opinion found on the left of the ideological spectrum. More specifically, any idea held by Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, or John Kerry.
Extremist: Anyone who opposes the mainstream idea that we should be able to kill unborn children for any reason whatsoever, or who rejects the mainstream view that the 2nd amendment is obsolete, or who is so far out of the mainstream as to believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, or who flouts the mainstream by holding any traditional religious conviction.
Unilateral: Any action taken either by oneself or with any number of partners but which does not include France.
Hero: Anyone who applies for a Purple Heart after suffering a self-inflicted wound requiring a band-aid. Alternatively, anyone who is awarded a Silver Star for conduct which is in violation of the Geneva conventions and the United States' Military code.
The Updates:
Quagmire: Any war not over in three days.
Negative campaigning: When Republicans cite their opponents' record in order to show the public where they stand on the issues.
Cowardice: When a Democrat (e.g. rep. Mark Alexander) switches parties to become a Republican. Not to be confused with a Republican switch to the Democrat party (e.g. Sen. Jim Jeffords) which is a move which requires courage.
Nuance: An admirable intellectual quality evinced by a Democratic presidential candidate who takes every conceivable side of an issue to the point that no one has any idea where he stands.