Not since Calvin Coolidge...

[El Supremo]

Has a President invented a new and important word that will change the English language.

Silent Cal's was "Normalcy" instead of "Normality".

*'s is changing the noun "suicide" to a verb. He accomplished the final transformation tonight. Rather than saying "they committed suicide" he said "they suicided". Many times in the past he has refereed to them as "suiciders" rather than "those who commit suicide."

He may be remembered more for this momentous change than anything else. Another footnote to history!

[ibegurpard]

1. Didn't see the speech

Did he actually say "suicided" without correcting himself?
:groans:

[Sirveri]

3. you should have heard him try to pronounce...

Abu Ghraib. It was pretty hillarious.

[calimary]

11. Don't forget "America's Ambachelor to Iraq, John Negroponte."

The guy who's going to present longstemmed roses to the "new leadership" along with his credentials, no doubt.

[Nevernose]

4. Great minds. et cetera. (n/t)

[Nevernose]

2. I missed the speech

Did he really say "suicided?" In his big save-my-political-career speech? Even after weeks and weeks of rehearsal?

Somehow, I find this to be even more depressing than the criminal behavior.

[PfNJ]

5. shrub is "suiciding".....

every time he opens his mouth.....

[PittPoliSci]

6. didn't harding coin Normalcy?

eom

[elperromagico]

7. Yes.

[PittPoliSci]

9. thought so.

[El Supremo]

13. Yor are right....

but Coolidge used "return to normalcy" as his campaign slogan.

[Zomby Woof]

16. No, Harding used it

Harding used it as a way of selling a return to "normal" life after WW1.

Harding's slogan was "Back To Normalcy".

Coolidge never used the term. Ever.

[PittPoliSci]

18. all coolidge did was sleep.

He may have used the term, but I know Harding coined it.

[Zomby Woof]

19. Coolidge was Reagan's favorite

Says all you need to know.

I challenge anyone here to find a reliable citation that Coolidge ever used the term "normalcy" in any context. He didn't say much of anything, and he certainly never said that.

[elperromagico]

20. I think Coolidge's slogan was the equally vapid "Keep Cool With Coolidge"

[nemo137]

23. despite what almost everyone will tell you, it's a British coinage

check out Bill Bryson's books on english: The Mother Tongue and Made in America. Harding took it and used it, and now the British see it as a vile Americanism, like nook-yu-ler.

[Tom Kitten]

8. keeeeey-rist!

the bit about building a new prison for the "detainees" to replace Abu Gihrab to signal a new beginning for the Iraqi nation (applause) did it for me! I'm just sitting here shaking my head...

[0007]

21. Oh yeah, let's get Abu Ghraib out of our hair

let's forget it. Let's tear it down and forget it.

Destroy Abu Ghraib? Hell No!!
Let's preserve this site as a historical monument for the whole world to see.

A museum that would depict the torture chambers of Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush.
Complete with mannequins that depict the likes of Military guards like Lynndie England doing all
her antics. Snarling dogs barking at naked Iraqis and then turned loose.

The murder the blood the maimed and the heart break of the loved ones should never be
forgotten.

As human beings we should all be ashamed and reminded daily of our weaknesses.

The Holocaust is still alive in the heart and minds of us and the Nazi concentration camps are still
alive as historical monuments why not Abu Ghraib?

[0007]

22. Imagine if you were an Iraqi and hearing about a new beginning

for your people with a new state of the art prison?

[CrispyQ]

10. Maybe I'm derelict in my democratic duty,

but I can't even listen to him!

[voice of reason]

12. Or maybe he plays online games

where suicide is a verb.

[Cat Atomic]

14. Funny how Bush's mangling the english language was "cute"

back when everything was going OK. But now that the neocons' plans have come to fruition and everything is mess, the president's lack of intelligence doesn't seem so funny.

[Zomby Woof]

15. Warren Harding coined that term

Coolidge's predecessor, and the worst Repuke president until...

[FDRrocks]

17. How about "grow the economy"?

Was that common at any other point in time? I'm relatively new to politics so it might be, but it just sounds wrong.