Robert J. Chassell wrote: >The phrase "The British have learned...." suggests to a listening >public that the US President had US intelligence agencies >investigate the matter.
"John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> responded It does not suggest this to me. Indeed the mere fact that British intelligence is being mentioned in the State of the Union suggests exactly the opposite to me. Interesting. Your ideolect is certainly different from mine and from people with whom I have talked over the past half century. If your criticism is that Bush said "learned" instead of "informed us that they believe", then who is being pedantic and mincing words here? No, I am not saying that. I am saying that Americans I know think that the phrase `James learned' meansthat `James learned correctly' unless the phrase is otherwise qualified, as in a joke. They do not think the phrase means `James learned incorrectly'. I am being anything but pedantic and mincing; rather I am talking of how the vast majority of Americans speak and understand. -- Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.teak.cc [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l