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]
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