As Iraq Toll Nears 4000 -- Bush Sees a "comma"

[deminks]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/as-iraq-toll-nears-4000-_b_92898.html

As the U.S. death toll nears 4000 in Iraq, President Bush gave the country another pep talk this week on staying the course, while continuing to argue that history will wash the blood off his hands. Nothing has changed in his claim that when humans, or God, look back at this episode, it will seem like only a "comma."

Back in September 2006, I was first to trace the derivation of this "comma" reference (and a chapter about it appears in my new book on Iraq and the media).

CNN had aired an interview with President Bush conducted by Wolf Blitzer, who asked about the latest setbacks in Iraq and indications that civil war may be at hand. Bush, with a slight smile, replied, "Yes, you see -- you see it on TV, and that's the power of an enemy that is willing to kill innocent people. But there's also an unbelievable will and resiliency by the Iraqi people.... I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is -- my point is, there's a strong will for democracy."

(snip)

Where does this come from? Not directly from the scripture, apparently. A quote by comedienne Gracie Allen is cited on many religious Web sites: "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."

(snip)

And so has the president. Did he fail to finish his thought -- linking the comma to the period -- for fear of invoking his Christianity in discussing a murderous war? Or did he want to avoid being linked to Gracie Allen? In any case, the death toll represented by this little old "comma," now stands at almost 4000.

(end snip)

I remember when Chimpy said this. I was astounded. Now it is a bigger comma to him and his minions, I guess.

[bluestateguy]

1. Any more commas, and he will have a long run-on sentence there

which, given his mangling of the English language, would not be surprising.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Please...

...for a guy who can't say words correctly, we are now suddenly supposed to take grammar lessons from him?

The GOP-industrial complex's http://wikiality.com/Comma">comma reminds me of those dyed in the wool Southerners who believe the South shall rise again.